Dark Rain
by Starlit Anabelle
Summary: The shadows unite in Twilight Town to consume the heart of the double wielder. A rogue blind boy seeks out Sora, going against the rules to aid the double wielder in his quest. Sora meanwhile sleeps frozen and unaware. Three blades will reveal the light..
1. Oath of Friendship

Author's Note-I'll just say that I don't own Kingdom Hearts. There? You lawyers happy? You're so cruel! ...Anyways... ^_^; I've been looking at pictures, watching the trailer numerous times, and watching a bunch of music videos that shows Kingdom Hearts 2. I've checked over the theories, characters, ect. This basically has most of my analysis in it, with a few slight changes that may not be changes. I dunno. So yeah...I'm basing this off of what I've seen and read by far. So...on with the fic!  
  
"I'm still having trouble believing that you won that race today, Taro." Hyotoko said.  
  
The blond holding a large gold trophy smirked. "How so? I'm holding my trophy right here. If you want to race me yourself..."  
  
"No, no, I'm fine!" said the brunette, grinning and holding out his hands.  
  
The other thirteen-year old, a girl with red, shoulder-length hair, giggled playfully. "I'll race you." she said.  
  
"No way. You're probably the last person in this town that I'd want to race. I got my speed from Uncle A's training. If you're his daughter, I'd hate to think how fast you are being trained full time, Sakura." Taro said.  
  
"Oi! What about me, Taro?! I'm her brother!" a young boy with shoulder-length black hair demanded.  
  
"You're also eleven." Taro pointed out.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?! Just because you're fifteen-almost sixteen-and older than everyone else...!" The boy's voice trailed off as Taro laughed.  
  
"Give it a rest, Kiyoshi. I think Taro's arrogance has been boosted up a level after defeating those pushovers after school in the race today." Sakura said. The three kids-the exception being Taro-all laughed.  
  
Taro shook his head. "Joke all you want-I still won."  
  
There was a long silence as the four kids on the roof of a tall skyscraper watched the sunset.  
  
"Oi! The stars are comin out!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing to the first star to appear in the sky.  
  
"You know, I once heard that the stars were different worlds." Hyotoko said thoughtfully.  
  
"And one of these days, I'm gonna see them all!" Taro said eagerly.  
  
"From down here. Better hope that's a wishing star, Taro. I don't think there's a chance in hell that we'll be able to leave this place anytime soon." Sakura said.  
  
"Like you do every night? Wish on a star?" Kiyoshi teased, grinning.  
  
"You know, I should have the right mind to push you off this roof..." Sakura grinned, her hand rising playfully.  
  
Kiyoshi scooted away quickly. "Psycho sister, psycho sister! Help!" he joked.  
  
Taro smiled, looking up at the star, then lowered his head, his eyes closing. 'Star light, star bright-'  
  
"Oi!" A voice said behind them. They turned to see a platinum-haired boy wearing a blindfold. "I've been looking all over for you guys. Mrs. Kimoto and Mrs. Insei say it's time to come home."  
  
"So can I stay here?" Hyotoko asked brightly.  
  
"Nope. Mrs. Takani agrees with them entirely."  
  
"Dang."  
  
Taro stood up and walked over to the boy. "And how could you look for us, Riku? You're blind." He said, his hand lifting to poke the blind boy.  
  
The boy-Riku-snapped his hand out caught the blonde's and grinned enigmatically. "You gain senses you never had when you lose your sight." He said.  
  
Taro blinked, then grinned. "If you say so." He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up at the sky, which was now fading in the darkness, only to be pin-pricked by stars. "Riku, do you think there are different worlds out there?"  
  
Riku shrugged. "It's possible, but heck if I know. Either way, I'd never want to leave home if I was there..." he said, the last part a bit wistful.  
  
"You think you're from another planet, Riku?" Kiyoshi asked.  
  
"Anything's possible..." Riku tilted his head upwards, towards the sky as the breeze toyed with his long silver hair. He smiled again, only this time, did the kids see a bit of sadness in his smile? Sadness and nostalgia...  
  
"Anyways, I'm outta here. I'll wait for you at the front door." Riku said, turning to the stairs.  
  
"Alright. We'll be down in a minute." Hyotoko said, standing up. Riku nodded and left.  
  
"Oh, by the way..." Sakura said, standing up along with Kiyoshi. She pulled four little orbs out of her pocket.  
  
"...What are those?" Taro asked.  
  
The globes were small-small enough to fit in a person's hand, different colors, and looked like they were made out of glass.  
  
"Destiny balls or oath orbs-whichever you wanna call them. I bought them at that new accessory shop."  
  
"...What do they do?"  
  
"I'm getting to that, Taro! ...If you look into the orb, you see an image that only you can see. Mine has a sakura grove in the spring and a serene island. If you make a promise on it, that promise stays for life. Here." She tossed a yellow orb to Taro. The blond easily caught it in his free hand as Sakura tossed two others to Hyotoko and Kiyoshi.  
  
"What promise do you want to make, Sakura?" Hyotoko asked curiously.  
  
"That the four of us stay friends forever."  
  
Kiyoshi chuckled. "Friends? We're siblings-we're stuck with each other."  
  
"Yeah...of course we'll always be friends..." Hyotoko said, a hint of concern in his voice.  
  
"We don't need oath balls or whatever the heck they're called to hold our friendship together. Now c'mon, let's get going. It's getting late." Taro said, sticking the globe into his pocket and heading towards the stairs.  
  
Sakura sighed and followed, followed by the other two boys. They walked through the dark hallway, past offices and cubicles, computers with their starry screen savers. The kids took the elevator down to the ground floor. They exited the building through glass doors and into the dark streets lit only by the lights of a few apartments and neon signs.  
  
"Well, see you guys tomorrow. Bye." Taro said, waving to the others.  
  
"Yeah, see ya. Stay safe." Hyotoko said, walking backwards and waving.  
  
"Please. We're ninjas and fighters. It'll be okay." Sakura said. "See ya tomorrow!"  
  
"Bye!" Kiyoshi added.  
  
The three kids walked off, leaving Taro with Riku. "...Let's head back..." Riku said, turning on one heel and walking swiftly down the street.  
  
"Er...yeah..." Taro said, skittering after the older boy. His mind flashed back to when his family found Riku.  
  
*flashback*  
  
"Bye, mom! Dad! Headin out! Taro called, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and stepping out the door to walk to Twilight Town High School. He checked his watch. "Oh, damn. Gonna be late at this rate...better take a shortcut..." he muttered, turning the corner. He began to pass an alleyway.  
  
"K-Kairi...Sora..." he heard a voice moan. He stopped to see a boy about his age lying against the wall. The boy had long, silver hair and had a black coat draped over him. His eyes were shut tightly and he was very pale, as if light hadn't touched his skin for at least a year. He looked like he was in pain and a bit feverish. His face was streaked with dirt.  
  
"Kairi..." the boy moaned again. Now Taro knew that this was probably just a homeless bum, but the guy was probably sick and his age. He wasn't heartless. He reached out to give the boy's shoulder a light shake.  
  
"Um...hello? Oi, you all right...?" he asked a bit hesitantly.  
  
The boy twitched slightly. "Sora...?"  
  
"Er..." Taro glanced around. A small white lie to gain the boy's trust and save his life, right? "Yeah...you're going to be all right...it's me, Sora...just come with me, alright?"  
  
"I'm...I'm sorry...for everything... Is Kairi okay...?"  
  
"Kairi's gonna be just fine...c'mon now..." Taro assured him, draping one of the boy's arms around his shoulders. They both slowly rose and made it back to the house.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
"I wouldn't take something like an oath orb so lightly, Taro. Especially if it's used for a promise like friendship. Even the strongest of friendships can dissolve..." Riku said, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.  
  
"You heard us?" Taro asked incredulously.  
  
"Heightened hearing." Riku explained, as if this was a common, everyday thing.  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Anyways, every planet has something like an oath orb." Riku continued.  
  
"So you /have/ been to different worlds?!" Taro asked.  
  
Riku was silent for a moment, caught off guard, then said quietly, "No, I'm just guessing." Before Taro could reply, Riku tossed a black package to the boy. "By the way, happy birthday, kid."  
  
Taro blinked as he caught the package. "But my birthday isn't until tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, but I have the feeling that you'll want it sooner." Riku replied, a bit distracted.  
  
"O...kay..." The blond blinked again and watched Riku suddenly frown a bit.  
  
"Listen." Riku said. "I have to go check on something. Go on ahead home. I'll see you there soon." With that, he walked off, his black coat blending him easily into the darkness. "If you need me," he called back, "Meet me at the skyscraper-I'll be on the roof."  
  
Author's Note-Did I mention that Taro, Hyotoko, Kiyoshi, and Sakura are mine? ^_^; Anyways, please review! It will be highly appreciated. ^_^ Ja ne! 


	2. Is any of this for real or not?

Author's Note-Thankies for the review, Unknown11! Now, I'm just gonna say that I own nothin...'cept Taro, Sakura, Kiyoshi, and Hyotoko... Now read while I go get some sleep... ^_^;  
  
Taro blinked, then shrugged and walked the rest of the way home alone. He opened the door. "Oi, mom, dad! I'm home!" he called. His mother, a woman with long golden hair, walked into the room.  
  
"Hi." She said. She looked around. "Where's Riku?" In the couple months' time that Riku had been with them, it was as if he was by now a part of the family. Riku and Taro by now were practically like brothers.  
  
"Out." Taro replied. He had already shown his parents the trophy he'd won-they had watched him at the race. He turned to go to his room.  
  
"By the way, Taro?" Mrs. Kimoto said. Taro turned to see her smile. "We're real proud of you, kid. Congratulations."  
  
Taro grinned. "Thanks, mom." He said. He went off to his room and set the trophy next to several others on the shelf. He then sat down on the bed and tore open the package. Black leather and cotton spilled out and flowed onto the floor.  
  
Taro stood up and lifted it up in front of him. It was a black jacket, just like Riku's. "Oh, awesome..." he breathed. He slipped the jacket on and looked at it in the mirror. The jacket was long and buttoned. Taro pulled the hood up. The surrounding blackness seemed to pale his skin by a lot, making him look quite ominous.  
  
He grinned and pulled the hood back, lying back down on the bed. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the oath orb Sakura had given him.  
  
"If you look into the orb, you can see an image that only you can see." Sakura had said. Taro blinked, then shrugged and held it up to his eye. All at once, his surroundings became black. Everything, black.  
  
He was suddenly in a castle, low to the ground as he practically slid across the marble. He neared the boy holding a large key, getting closer and closer...  
  
Flash! He was holding a sword and springing across the giant lion head made of sand, about to slash at the man with black hair and a small red hat. The desert was his territory and he had orders to slay this intruder. The man turned, raising his sword...  
  
Flash! He was big, tall, and round. Shockwaves sent out by his feet wounded his opponents! He stomped around the forest of grass and flowers. Wait. Why was he here? Oh well. Didn't matter. He swung his fist to catch the dog creature creeping up on him, the large fist catching its jaw. He turned just in time to have a fireball fill his vision...  
  
Flash! He was in the jungle, hopping up and down. H e slid across the grass and the dirt, one foot out, and knocked the tanned man on all fours off balance. He jumped onto the treetops, searching, seeking out a new victim as his keep eyes scanned the leafy branches. Hm...a flash of brown and silver! There! He leaped...  
  
Flash! He stomped around the arena, a huge rabid black dog. He could see in three different directions! But what did it matter when his prey was standing right there? He snapped at the man in armor. He was vulnerable-a man was slung over his shoulder. He reared up on his hind legs...  
  
Flash! He was waving around, fluid and bendy. His eyes lit up the dark caverns inside the whale. His arms suddenly flew out to hit his opponent...  
  
Flash! He was nothing but bones as soon as he leapt nimbly from tombstone to tombstone. He spun quickly, hitting the pale main in a suit. The man flinched. Lightning began to suddenly rain down...  
  
Flash! He glided through the air above the ship, following the redhead clad in green. The Jolly Roger flew nearby. His wings outstretched, he swooped down, sword raised, only to have the boy turn and at the last minute stab forward with a dagger...  
  
Flash! He was floating again! Not through air this time though, but through water. He swished his tendrils and slowly, gracefully lifted a couple to sting the fish girl before him. She suddenly sped at him, twirling, a fishy torpedo...  
  
Flash! There was nothing before him except rocks. And a boy with a humanoid duck and dog. He swiped at the boy with a huge, jagged sword. The boy blocked. He landed and stabbed the sword into the ground, chanting an incantation...  
  
Flash! He was floating around, zipping this way and that while making a chiming sound. He was in a town. The humanoid duck from earlier raised his staff and yelled, "Freeze!" ...  
  
Flash! He scampered up the tree and leapt to the next tree limb. He reached for the belt and pulled off a robe with a double-sided hook on the end-a kaginawa. He tossed it at the wall nearby. With a firm tug, he swung over to the wall silently. He hoisted himself up and over the wall to look at the younger boy beside him. Kiyoshi. Wait...what?  
  
Flash! He looked over at the redhead. She grinned at him. "Nice work, Kiyoshi. Dad's gonna be impressed. Mom, too." Sakura frowned. "Now, just make sure that you ready yourself for-" She ducked a punch. "That!"  
  
Flash! He tapped a pencil to his chin and frowned. Square root of eighty? This math homework was incomprehensible. His hand began to reach towards the mystery book he had been reading. Mom and dad wouldn't know- they were out at a town meeting. Misaki-his little sister-was spending the night at a friend's house. He hand the entire house to himself. The door opened behind him. So soon? Why would his parents be back so soon? He spun in his chair to see...  
  
Flash! A deep calm settled over the area. The blue waves rolled in and out. A boy climbed up to the platform. A boy with spiky brown hair and blue eyes.  
  
"Hey, Sora. We still need a name for the raft. I suggest the Highwind." He said.  
  
"Hm..." The boy thought for a moment. "How about...Friendship!"  
  
"How 'bout..."  
  
"...The usual?"  
  
Flash! Taro fell. He fell and fell through darkness. Nothingness. The air whipped through his hair. He flipped, slowly, and landed on his own two feet. He was standing on darkness, in darkness. A void of blackness and dispair.  
  
"Hello?" He called, his head still spinning. Who was he? Where was he? What was he? He shook his head to recollect. Taro. Taro Kimoto of Twilight Town. Human. But where was he now?  
  
He involuntarily shivered slightly. The darkness. It was cold and unforgiving. Wait. What was that? He blinked as a light floated down before his eyes.  
  
It was small. In fact, so small, that if it hadn't been glowing, he would have mistaken it to be a snowflake. He caught the light in his hand. It was warm-the only thing with heat in this stark, cold place.  
  
Suddenly, light spilled through his closed fingers of his closed fist. He held it out just as it seemed to explode, forcing his hand open, all leaving colorful spots in front of his eyes like a camera flash. He stumbled back as the light exploded and then began to dim, then slowly withdrew the arm that had been shielding his amber eyes.  
  
"What the hell...? He murmered. Suddenly, and instant flash in front of his eyes and his mind. Not of light, but of memory. Memories not his.  
  
He was thankful that he was merely a spectator instead of looking though someone's eyes.  
  
Still was confusing.  
  
On an island, a red-haired girl sat with the spiky-haired brunette from before. He tried to recall the name. Sora. And the girl? One word drifted into his mind: Kairi.  
  
"Sora, don't ever change." The girl said, standing up. "I just can't wait...once we set sail...it'll be great..."  
  
Taro looked around as everything fell dark, then blurred, then focused.  
  
"They'll come at you out of nowhere." A man with long brown hair and clad in leather said.  
  
Sora took a step back.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"Who's Kairi? I'm the great ninja Yuffie." A girl with short black hair said, looking down at Sora. Then, to the man in leather, "I think you overdid it a little, Squall."  
  
"That's Leon." The man said, crossing his arms and leaning against the door.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"Off with their heads!" The insane yell came from a woman wearing red and white. Cards leapt for the boy and his friends, a humanoid duck and dog.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"I'm looking for my friends. Frieeends..." Sora said, sounding out the word for a tanned man that stood on all fours.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"Five words. You guys ain't heroes." A goat man said.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"Setting your sights a little high...aren't you, boy?" a tall man said contemptuously.  
  
Blur. Focus.  
  
"But Sora, I thought you liked games." The voice caught Taro by surprise. Riku? He was here?  
  
A silver-haired boy walked out of the shadows. He was smiling. It was Riku! Only this Riku had shorter hair and his skin was more tanned than pale. He was without the jacket and the blindfold. Crystal blue eyes watched the brunette. It must have been when he was a bit younger.  
  
"Or," Riku said, "have you become too cool to play them ever since you got that..."  
  
Taro frowned. He couldn't hear the last word. Everything began to go black. "Wait! Riku!" Taro called, taking a step forward and reaching out for the boy. Nobody noticed him. It was like he was watching a TV screen! He wasn't there...not really, not physically. Everything faded to complete darkness again. "No...!"  
  
"That is all I shall permit you to hear, to see." A soft voice that came out at him from all sides said. "...For now..."  
  
A warmth was felt through Taro's shoes. Taro looked down to see that he was standing on a stained-glass platform of a woman with long, golden hair and a pink dress, clutching a blood red rose to her heart. A princess. As if standing on a stained-glass platform didn't make Taro nervous enough (because the whole place just kind of gave off this feeling that he was standing in a holy, sacred place), this voice out of nowhere yet everywhere at once didn't help any.  
  
"Who's there?!" Taro demanded, reaching for the two kodachis-short swords-strapped to his back. "Show yourself!"  
  
"It begins..."  
  
"What?" Taro demanded, looking around yet seeing nothing. "What begins?! What are you?! Who are you?!"  
  
"The oath was not made...destiny will shatter..."  
  
"You're not making any sense! What oath?! What begins?!"  
  
"This..."  
  
A large white robot appeared suddenly out of nowhere. Well, at least it looked somewhat like a robot. Huge shoulders, an almost domed-shaped head. It towered over Taro by at least two or three feet. On its chest was a dark, purple mark. A marking like a heart...  
  
Taro barked out a laugh, taking a few steps backwards as the creature neared him. "This can't be real..."  
  
"It is..."  
  
Taro opened his mouth to argue when he noticed that this creature had suddenly appeared in front of him. He began to back away. Too late. The creature drew back a fist...  
  
...And connected with the boy's jaw. Hard.  
  
Cold metal made contact with flesh and suddenly Taro noticed faintly through the haze of pain and disorientation that he was flying across the platform. His body made contact with the smooth glass. He tried to press his hands to create friction, but it was no use, god it was no use, his head was still spinning from the shock and the pain. He slid over the edge but his hand suddenly caught the platform. Hanging by one hand!  
  
Suddenly he realized that this wasn't just a dream. This was very real. And he was going to die.  
  
Author's Note-Mwhahaha! *likes to make cliffies like this* Ahem...anyways, I'm gonna be goin out of town for the weekend, so I'll try to get a chapter or two posted before leaving...or maybe I'll be able to post when I get to a computer... *shrug* Either way, I'll try to post at least once more before leavin. So anyways...please review! Ja ne! 


	3. Among the Non Existent

Author's Note-Third chapter is up! Sorry I didn't post over the weekend... Anyways, hang on, because all hell is about to break loose. Oh, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts...but Chaos is another one of my characters. So anyways...yeah...on with the fic!  
  
Meanwhile, a silver-haired boy walked into the street in front of the skyscraper. "...Chaos, what do you want?" he demanded.  
  
A man in a black coat and red hair with black markings underneath his eyes stepped out. He smirked as he looked at the boy. "Hello."  
  
The boy was unamused. "...Hi. Now like I said, what do you want?" he demanded again. Through the blindfold, he saw a dark, humanoid figure with a tiny spark where the heart should have been. A shadow. Under the arm of this shadow was a bundle of light.  
  
"You were supposed to get the kid. Why haven't you?" The man- apparently named Chaos-asked.  
  
The boy-Riku-clenched his fists. "...I won't...he has a pure heart... I'm not going to drag him into this." He said.  
  
"You were supposed to follow orders...have you forgotten the deal?" Chaos asked.  
  
Riku shook his head and looked away. "...I can find them on my own...and if I can't...I can stay here..."  
  
Chaos grinned. "You know I get to punish you now, right? Are you ready?" he asked.  
  
Riku took a step back, a slight flash of fear flickering over his face, but then quickly replaced it with his earlier glare. "..."  
  
The red-haired man began to advance on him. "Come on, Riku."  
  
Riku took a step back. "I'm not like you! You can't take away my body because mine is still real! I still have my body and my heart, unlike you and the others!" he said fiercely.  
  
Chaos shook his head. "Tsk tsk, Riku....come with me please."  
  
"I'm not going to help him anymore! I'm through with all of this! Just leave me alone-I want to live a normal life from now on!" Riku cried.  
  
"You are non-existent, Riku...you cannot have a normal life." Chaos said.  
  
"Yes I can! I can stay here with the kid and his friends and family and live a normal life like I have for the past couple months! I am not non- existent!" Riku argued.  
  
"Yes, you are." Chaos said. He clenched a fist. "You will always be non-existent, Riku."  
  
Riku suddenly cried out and clutched his chest, barely able to stand for a few moments, then finally dropped to one knee. "I'm...I'm not non- existent! I have a heart! I have a body! I have a life, friends... I'm not non-existent like you! I have the things that make me real that you don't have!" he said desperately, trying to convince both Chaos and himself.  
  
Chaos laughed evilly. "Sure. Just keep telling yourself that, boy." He said, clenching his fist again. He was loving this.  
  
Riku fell to both knees, wincing as his he continued to clutch his chest with one hand. "I'm...I'm not going to help you..! Leave the kid alone...!"  
  
"You will help...." Chaos said. He clenched his fist again. "You know good and well I won't stop this until you help."  
  
"Stop it! Please!" Riku cried.  
  
"Not until you help us." Chaos said, clenching his fist again, laughing.  
  
The bundle of light twitched and whimpered slightly.  
  
Riku raised his head, looking surprised, then said the best he can through the pain, "Hyo...toko?!"  
  
Chaos's left eye twitched as he clenched his fist again. "Shut up." He said.  
  
Riku cried out in pain again. His head lowered.  
  
"Now...join us or perish." Chaos ordered.  
  
"I'm not...gonna help you take the boy..." Riku gasped. He could barely breathe through the pain. May as well while he can, before the man clenched his fist again. He shook his head fiercely. "Leave him and his friends outta this! And let Hyotoko go...!"  
  
"I think not." Chaos said. He glanced down at the bundle, then back up at Riku. "Once the kid sees that his friends are on the side of darkness, he will be on the side of darkness and destroy Sora. So now...JOIN US!" he ordered. He clenched his fist again. "Or I won't hesitate to destroy you!"  
  
Riku screamed in anguish, then yelled, "But...you guys said...that you wouldn't hurt Sora! That you wouldn't hurt Kairi! And besides...the kid will never do that-the darkness cannot and will not touch him!"  
  
"Oh, but he will...now...do you really want me to destroy you?!" Chaos asked knowingly, clenching his fist again. Only this time, it was much more tight. Tight enough to draw blood from his own palm.  
  
"What happened to the promise?! To the deal?!" Riku barely managed to yell.  
  
"If you help us, there will be a deal. If not, then there won't. Take your pick now!"  
  
"I won't help you! I can find them on my own!" Riku replied.  
  
Chaos blinked, then shrugged. "Suit yourself, Riku." He said, clenching his fist again.  
  
Riku nearly collapsed from the pain. He was sure that he was going to die. But he wasn't going back to the darkness, he wasn't! He wasn't going to drag some pure kids like Taro and his friends into all of this... He wasn't going to allow them to end up like him...  
  
Meanwhile, Hyotoko opened his eyes slightly at the yelling. He recognized the voice, even in his drowsy state. Even if the voice was only yelling. "R-Riku...?" the boy muttered.  
  
Chaos laughed a hard, cold laugh as he clenched his fist once more. By now, blood was smeared on the fingers and the palm, but the redhead scarcely noticed a thing. "One last chance, Riku. Join us or die." He said.  
  
'This is it...this is where I die... But I won't beg for mercy. I won't ask for help from the darkness.' Riku thought. His shoulders slumped slightly. He sighed and lowered his head. 'Well...it was a nice life...for a while...' he thought. Then he said defiantly, "This is my heart...and this is my body...and I won't let it be owned by someone like your master...I won't become a slave like you!"  
  
Chaos laughed evilly. "You fool....I am not a slave. I am darkness." He said confidently as he clenches his fist yet again. The screaming of Riku this time woke up the brunette. Hyotoko looked up.  
  
"Riku!" he yelled. He struggled to get out of Chaos's grip, but to no avail. "Let me go! What are you doing to my friend?!"  
  
Chaos tightened his grip on Hyotoko. "Shut up, boy!" he commanded.  
  
Riku tried to ignore Hyotoko's yelling, but with difficulty. 'Stay focused on the argument...' he thought. "All unknowns are slaves and I'm not one of them!" he yelled.  
  
He looked at Riku, then asked with a smirk, "Then why do you wear the outfit?"  
  
Hyotoko glared. He wasn't going to quit trying. "Let go! Stop hurting Riku!" he yelled.  
  
"SHUT UP, BOY!" Chaos yelled more loudly, tightening his grip on Hyotoko yet again while he stared at the platinum-haired boy.  
  
Riku struggled to draw in a breath again and slowly looked up. "Be...Because...I don't wear it as a symbol for the unknowns..." he said.  
  
Chaos grinned, then smirked, then burst out laughing. "HA HA HA HA HA! You foolish boy! If you do not join us, you die here and now and Sora and Kairi die as well. If you do join us, they will remain alive and so will you, and you will be able to find them.  
  
"But...you said you would send the dual wielder out to kill Sora...you're not making any sense!" Riku argued.  
  
"If you don't help. But if you do, you don't have to worry about Sora dying." Chaos shot back.  
  
"...Then...then what do you need the kid for...?" Riku asked, frowning and looking up at Chaos.  
  
"To get that boy here so you can see him again." Chaos replied simply.  
  
Riku knew that the man was lying. "But...how is he connected to Sora in any way...? I mean, I know he's the dual keyblade wielder but...that isn't reason enough for Sora to come..." he said, trying to trick the redhead into speaking the truth. No use.  
  
"Figure it out... In the meantime, get that kid!" Chaos said, avoiding answering the question.  
  
"I...I won't..."  
  
"Then die!" Chaos yelled, clenching his fist.  
  
Riku cried out in excruciating tightness around his heart again. It was agonizing. What could he have possibly done to deserve this...?!  
  
As Chaos laughed at the boy's pain, a person slid down a rope that was tied to the top of the skyscraper and suddenly hung down to the ground. "Oi!" They called sharply.  
  
Chaos stopped laughing. "What?" he asked, looking up, then his eyes following the figure as it landed on the ground.  
  
It was Sakura, wearing her ninja outfit after just battling. Her expression was furious. She then demanded in a dangerous voice, "...What the hell are you doing to my friend?"  
  
Riku looked up, recognizing the voice. "S...Sakura...get away..." he whispered.  
  
"Back off, wench, or you will die too." Chaos said, unamused at the girl's heroics.  
  
Hyotoko's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. "Sakura?!" he yelled. "Run!"  
  
Meanwhile, Sakura rest a hand lightly on Riku's back. "Don't worry, Riku." She said. "I'm here now. And I'm not going to run away. With that, she took a couple of steps forward, looking up at Chaos with cold eyes. "That's pretty low...picking on someone that's blind...now let go of my friend and leave us alone." She ordered.  
  
"Sakura! Stop it! You don't know what you're getting yourself into! They'll take you, too!" Riku yelled.  
  
Chaos laughed again, clenching his fist. "He belongs to the dark lord...and yes, Riku, as a matter of fact, now that I know that she is one of the friends of the boy, I will take her too." He said, grinning. "Heartless, come out!" he called.  
  
Creatures that were the color of the blackest night, thin and about three to four feet tall, antennae waving, rose from the ground, surrounding Sakura as Riku cried out again in pain.  
  
Chaos laughed evilly again and waited for the show.  
  
Sakura got into a fighting stance-one hand resting on the sheath, the other on the hilt, her hips ready to twist forward in an instant, her blue eyes watching her opponents. Riku looked up at her, aghast.  
  
"Sakura, what are you doing?!" he demanded.  
  
"Like hell that I'm gonna just leave the two of you here to this maniac!" Sakura seethed.  
  
"You will perish, girl!" Chaos yelled as the Heartless leapt forward in an attack.  
  
"Sakura!" Hyotoko yelled, struggling again, desperate to help his friend. Of course, though, he had no effect. Chaos merely tightened his grip on the boy as he watched with a wicked smile.  
  
As fast as lightning, Sakura quickly unsheathed her sword and slashed at the Heartless in front of her, catching them in the face, then twirled, knocking one to the side as the sword hit it in the arm. She thrust at another, stabbing it through the chest, and slashed at the other two Heartless' stomach, knocking them aside in mid-leap. It seemed that her father's lessons in ninjutsu had paid off.  
  
However, the Heartless were unphased. They started to close in on Sakura as her back was nearly to the skyscraper.  
  
Chaos grinned widely at this. "You cannot win!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Damn...this ain't even right, man..." Sakura complained, much like her mother as she shook her head, then reached into her belt and pulled out a small packet-a metsubushi-with one hand and pulled up a mask over her face with the other. She then threw the packet onto the ground and a huge cloud of smoke rose up and out of the exploded package.  
  
Sakura jumped over the Heartless, taking advantage of the cover of the mixture of ashes, ground, and sand, and grabbed Riku by the wrist, beginning to pull him out of there.  
  
"NO!" Chaos yelled angrily, clenches his fist as tight as he could. Which was pretty tight.  
  
"Ahh!" Riku screamed as he tripped, collapsed. He grabbed at his chest, twitching in agony.  
  
Sakura stopped and turned to look down at Riku, wide-eyed. "Riku!" she cried.  
  
Chaos grinned. Still, Riku persisted.  
  
"Sa...Sakura...get Kiyoshi...and Taro...hurry to the...the top of the skyscraper...between the TV screens...there's a gummi ship up there...get them and get the hell outta here..." Riku said, fighting to stay conscious.  
  
Sakura glared and tightened her hand on her sword. "I'm not leaving you and Hyotoko!"  
  
"Do it for Kiyoshi and Taro! Save...who you can...!" Riku argued.  
  
Chaos laughed evilly, clenching his fist again. "FOOLISH GIRL!" he yelled. Riku cried out, scarcely clinging to consciousness now.  
  
"Riku!" Sakura cried. Then, quietly, she said, "I'm sorry...I can't do that..." she said. She then glared at Chaos and yelled, "Stop hurting my friends!" With that said, she charged at Chaos himself, her sword in her sword sheath, ready to do her sword-slashing technique while running.  
  
"Sakura!" Hyotoko cried.  
  
Chaos grinned and took out a thin, gold, five-foot long sword. "Come, girl." He challenged.  
  
Sakura swiftly slid the sword out of her sheath and knocks the sword out of the way, as it came towards her, then thrusts the point of the blade at his stomach.  
  
Chaos smirked and twirled his sword around in impressive movements and knocked her sword out of her hand. All of those years of ninjutsu, wasted. "Fool. Do you honestly think you can defeat me?" he mocked as Sakura watched the sword fly out of her hand and a few feet. The young girl's eyes were wide as she took a couple of steps back.  
  
"Sakura, run! Please!" Hyotoko begged.  
  
Sakura hesitated for a moment, then decided to take her friend's advice finally as she nodded a bit jerkily and started to run off. But it was no good.  
  
Chaos smirked and threw his sword at her, the blade pointed at her lower back.  
  
It was right on target. Sort of. Sakura was hit by the blade, only to have the point not go into her back. The hit did however have enough force to send her sprawling to the ground, though.  
  
Chaos easily caught the sword as it flew on back to its owner. "Pathetic girl." He said.  
  
Sakura rolled onto her back and sat up, then stood again and began to back away.  
  
"Don't you hurt her!" Hyotoko yelled, trying to kick Chaos's leg at the very least. Chaos wasn't effected in the least he grinned. Wires shot out of the tip of his sword, which wrapped around Sakura.  
  
"Stupid girl." He said.  
  
Sakura gasped and tried to struggle out of the wires. Unfortunately, the wires merely wrapped around her tighter every time she struggled.  
  
"Sakura!" Riku exclaimed.  
  
Chaos grinned wider. "Never mess with Chaos, fool." He said.  
  
Sakura finally stopped struggling and tried to cut the wires with her shuko-her clawed glove that she mainly used for blocking and climbing-but couldn't seem to get a good enough reach, what with her arms being bound to her sides and all.  
  
"Let them go, Chaos! Leave them out of this!" Riku shouted.  
  
"No...both will become like us, Riku. Non-existent."  
  
"I am not non-existent! And you will not harm them, Chaos-you won't! I won't allow it!" Riku shouted.  
  
"Non-existent?! What do you mean?! What are you talking about?!" Sakura yelled.  
  
"You have no say in the matter, boy." Chaos said, clenching his fist. Riku cried out again. "You will follow orders if you ever wish to see your friends again." He stopped as he suddenly heard a noise behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a young boy with black, shoulder-length hair staring from the other side of the street, wide-eyed. Chaos grinned. "Ah, so I won't have to search for the last one after all..."  
  
"Kiyoshi, run! Get out of here!" Sakura screamed.  
  
"But...but sister..." Kiyoshi stammered, seemingly frozen to his spot.  
  
"What the hell are you waiting for?! Get up and go! Make sure that Taro gets the box!" Sakura yelled.  
  
Kiyoshi hesitated, then nodded and ran out of there. Chaos frowned and sighed. "Great, this all means more work for me..." he turned to Riku. "Because a stupid boy couldn't follow orders. Oh well. I'll get the kid later." He clenched his fist once more and listened to Riku's screams of agony. As his fist loosened, the screams died down. "Boy. Remember this: You have nowhere to turn to, no one to go to but us. You are a non- existent; you'll always be non-existent. So...do the smart thing and follow your orders. Bring the dual wielder back to us, and perhaps we will allow you to come back to us...maybe..."  
  
In a black mist, the redhead and the two children disappeared, leaving Riku to stand up weakly on his own. He slowly shook his head and smiled slightly. If Chaos thought that Riku was going to submit so easily...he had another thing coming.  
  
They all did.  
  
Author's Note-Poor Riku! Character torture is so much fun to write... ^_^; Er...anyways...please review. And I shall be happyish. ^_^ Ja ne. 


	4. Dual Wielder

Author's Note-Well, I have the fourth chapter posted. I wish I had more than one review, though... ;_; Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now, to the fic...  
  
Meanwhile, Taro was losing energy fast, fighting to stay conscious as his hand loosened and began to slip. "Somebody help me!" he yelled, eyes shut tightly. Suddenly his hand slipped...  
  
...And was caught by a white, gloved one.  
  
A boy struggled to pull Taro back up to the platform. A boy with spiky brown hair and dark blue eyes, slightly younger than him...  
  
"Sora?!" Taro exclaimed incredulously.  
  
The boy blinked as he pulled the blond back onto the platform, then nodded once and frowned at the monster that approached them slowly. A large black key appeared in his hand. "Stand back, kid." He said, getting into fighting stance. Before Taro could reply, Sora rushed forward and started hacking away like crazy at the monster. Taro stared, then shook his head and climbed to his feet, unsheathing his kodachis. He leapt forward, joining the boy in the fight. Eventually, on of the kodachis split the head of the monster in half. As the blade slid out, a heart-shaped gem floated out.  
  
The brunette stared at the blond. The blond was staring at the monster, which was now dissipating into a black mist.  
  
"Who are you...?" Sora asked. "How do you know my name?"  
  
There was suddenly the tinkling of bells, the ringing of chimes echoing throughout the area. 'She's...it's...the voice...it's laughing...' Taro realized.  
  
"Protector...and protectee... You meet at last..."  
  
"Who's there already?! For the last time, cut the crap and show yourself!" Taro yelled angrily, rubbing his still-sore jaw.  
  
Sora looked around warily, confused recognition upon his face. Suddenly a pool of darkness appeared underneath him. Both boys eyes widened as the tendrils of darkness wrapped around the brunette, then tightened, beginning to crush him, taking the precious air from his lungs.  
  
"The darkness will destroy you...memory...body...soul..."  
  
"You're wrong! The darkness may destroy my body, but it can never touch my heart!" Sora gasped, the air being slowly, but surely crushed from his lungs.  
  
Taro glared, unable to watch this anymore, and rushed forward to sever the tendrils. The sound of tinkling bells filled the air again and the tendrils suddenly released Sora, shooting out to wrap around one of the kodachis.  
  
"Do you think I was talking about you?" the voice asked.  
  
Taro's eyes widened with fear as he tried to pull away from the darkness. It was no use. The tendrils twisted around his arm, down his body, entangling him. Tears involuntarily threatened to leak from his eyes as he felt himself suffocating, squeezed to death. His weapons snapped like toothpicks, shattered.  
  
"The darkness...it will destroy you...it will devour your body...but it will not be satisfied...until it has your heart..."  
  
Sora's key reappeared in the brunette's hand. He ran at the darkness surrounding the boy. Taro's eyes widened as Sora, his only possible savior, suddenly froze in midstep, as if someone had hit the pause button to a VCR. He suddenly was pulled back, seeped away as a black mist like that monster.  
  
But the real horror was when he himself began to disappear.  
  
He watched his hand through blurring vision. Starting at the fingertips, he began to crack. The cracks began to travel up the arm, and as all cracked things eventually do, he began to shatter. Like a china doll or something...  
  
The pain was excruciating. He was being ripped, torn apart. He screamed. Until the cracks consumed his throat, voice box, and mouth as well. Through the blinding pain, he heard the voice say, "The oath was not made. Seek out Sora...protector..."  
  
Crash! Light flashed before his eyes. Underneath him, the comfort of his mattress. He sat up and looked around his dark room. The Oath Orb was clutched in one hand. "I must've fallen asleep..." the boy groaned. "What a dream..."  
  
He checked his kodachis. Whole. Polished, even. They hadn't been used recently...  
  
He noticed a steady drumming on the house, then a roll of thunder that made the whole house vibrate. "Must be stormin...man...what time is it...? Why are all the lights out...?" he stood up and walked out of his room, calling, "Mom? Dad? Kyoko? Oi!"  
  
He wandered to the foyer and saw the door left wide open. He frowned. "Mom?" he called warily, jogging over to the door. What he saw horrified him.  
  
His ten-year old sister, Kyoko, laid in the middle of the street. Several black creatures-all tall, at least three or four feet-thin, with antennae and glowing amber eyes surrounded her.  
  
The black-haired, green-eyed girl was screaming and crying, trying desperately to get them away from her.  
  
"Kyoko!" Taro yelled, unsheathing his kodachis and running into the street. As soon as he reached them, Kyoko suddenly disappeared. Just sank into the street. "Kyoko!" Taro yelled again. That's when he looked around and noticed that the street was a whole lot more crowded by the creatures than he thought. There was a moment of stillness that seemed to stretch on forever. Suddenly, as if on silent agreement, the creatures leapt forward, claws bared.  
  
Taro's eyes widened momentarily, then glared darkly. Muscle memorization from the katas he'd practiced years at allowed him to spin and block the claws with swift, fluid movements. He began to run down the streets. His family was gone. He had to get to his friends. And what about Riku? He was a goner if he was out here in this hell with no one to help him.  
  
No use. The creatures raced after him and soon, very easily caught up. Taro turned. "So it's a fight, huh?" the boy snarled. "Then so be it!"  
  
While the kodachis were a defensive weapon, his uncle, a master of the kodachis in ninjutsu, had taught him how to fight with them offensively. Those were exactly the skills that he was using right then. He sliced through the shadows easily, but the wounds of the creatures refilled. Taro took a step back, fear crossing his features as the creatures leapt upon him, overpowering him.  
  
He screamed as they clawed at him, shredding his clothes and flesh. Blood puddle underneath and around him. The pain from the dream! The pain of being ripped apart, shattering into dust. Then, stillness...  
  
Taro saw and felt himself engulfed in darkness. All the pain was gone. Everything was eerily silent. 'Is this...is this...death...?' he wondered quietly.  
  
He saw a tiny light-the glowing snowflake from the dream floating down towards him. 'Did I die...is this heaven...? Hell...? Purgatory...?'  
  
A shiny orb suddenly slipped from what was left of the shredded ribbons of what was once his pocket and dropped down into the darkness below. The Oath Orb, given to him by Sakura. The only thing to remember his friends by in this everlasting darkness. "The orb!" he exclaimed. He tried to speak, but no sound was heard. He tried to grab the falling ball, but he couldn't move.  
  
"Seek out...Sora..." That voice! It was back again!  
  
"How can I do that when I'm dead, you stupid idiot?! I can't move!" Taro yelled, his voice now back and echoing in the darkness.  
  
"Move ever forward..."  
  
The light-the snowflake-suddenly landed on his chest where his heart was. In the freezing darkness, Taro felt a warm glow spread slowly over his heart, then over his body.  
  
"The darkness may destroy my body, but it can never touch my heart!" Sora's voice?  
  
Taro suddenly noticed a light speeding up at him like a bullet. 'What the...'  
  
In Twilight Town, the shadow creatures were suddenly thrown back by a small explosion of light. A blond boy rose to his feet, uninjured, his clothes in tact almost to the point of looking brand-new. There was no stain of blood on him, only on the ground-the only evidence that there had even been a struggle at all. The boy slowly rose to his feet as the creatures tittered seemingly nervously in a wide circle around him.  
  
The boy stared at his hands, slightly in shock. "I'm alive...?!" he whispered. "And...fully healed...?!"  
  
The yellow orb rolled by his feet. He looked down at it as it slowly rolled, seemingly magnetized, to attach itself to the tip of the hilt to one of his fallen kodachis. Taro bent down and picked up the kodachis. It glowed with a white light and suddenly turned mainly silver with blue and gold points. It looped and curved and pointed, growing wings at the handle! Eventually it finished transforming...it transformed into some kind of large, ornate key.  
  
"Keyblade..." the voice suddenly whispered. "Find the other..."  
  
"The other?!" Taro demanded. That seemed to be the signal of attack for the creatures. They leapt forth. However, this time, Taro wasn't helpless.  
  
He slashed at these creature-slashed through them and they didn't reform. With that warning, he scooped up his other kodachis and ran.  
  
Eventually he got to his destination: Hyotoko's house. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks. The house was on fire! "H-Hyotoko..." he whispered. No, this couldn't be! His best friend...was he dead? Did he get out?  
  
"Hyotoko!" Taro yelled, starting to the door of the house.  
  
"No! Wrong way!" The voice said.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"He is not there!"  
  
"Yeah, right!" Taro shouted.  
  
"The others..."  
  
"Others?!" Taro demanded. His eyes widened. "Kiyoshi and Sakura! What about them?!" There was no answer. Taro looked torn. Shadow creatures began to rise from the ground in front of him, an obstacle between him and the door. Taro made his decision right then.  
  
"Dammit!" Taro growled as he turned and ran towards his cousins' house. Strange. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he could barely feel the rain that pounded down on him. He barely felt the cold of it. He could only feel the warmth of the keyblade in his hand. Maybe it was because of the fear or the adrenaline or...he wasn't going to stop to dwell on it.  
  
He reached the siblings' house and stopped as it was illuminated by a flash of lightning. Another roll of thunder shook the ground. The door was standing open. "Sakura! Kiyoshi!" he yelled. He ran inside the dark house. "Aunt? Uncle? Sakura? Kiyoshi?" he called. He stumbled into the living room. "Anybody?!" he yelled, exasperated. He ran into the hall and opened the door to Kiyoshi's room. Kiyoshi stood just inside, a determined glare on his face as he pointed his staff at Taro. Ass soon as he saw the blond boy, thought, he relaxed a little and lowered his staff.  
  
"Kiyoshi!" Taro exclaimed.  
  
"Taro..." Kiyoshi said. His face grew a bit tearful. "Taro, some strange man has Sakura and Hyotoko!" he said.  
  
Taro's eyes widened. "What?!"  
  
Kiyoshi nodded. "Yeah...he tried to get me, but Sakura told me to run, so I did... He had red hair and wore a black coat, just like yours! Riku tried to stop him, but the man kept hurting him!"  
  
Taro's look grew dark. "...Where is he...?"  
  
"Last time I saw them, they were in front of the skyscraper..."  
  
Taro started out before Kiyoshi had finished his sentence. "Taro, wait!" Kiyoshi cried. Taro stopped but didn't turn around.  
  
"...What?"  
  
Kiyoshi winced slightly at the dull but grim tone that he had never heard Taro use. "Sakura...she wanted you to have this...she said for you to attach it to your kodachis..." Kiyoshi said, pulling out a treasure chest from under the bed.  
  
Taro turned, hesitated, then slowly walked over to the chest and tried to open it. "It's locked..."  
  
"She said to stab it with your kodachis. Said it will open if you do." Kiyoshi said.  
  
Taro hesitated, then nodded and stabbed the lock. The sword slid in easily, as if the lock were a sheath. There was a click and the trunk popped open. Inside laid a keychain shaped like a black crown. "...Don't see what this is supposed to do..." Taro said, picking up the keychain. He glanced over at the Oath Orb, which was hanging off the key that he already had. He shrugged and attached it to his other kodachis. This time, it lengthened and became very sharp. When the glow faded, he was holding a second large key-a black one.  
  
The boys stared breathlessly at the key. "What a cool weapon..." Kiyoshi said.  
  
It /was/ a cool weapon, admittably. The craftsmanship was remarkable. It had sharp edges and a long reach. The sparkling, magic-tainted obsidian was as black as a starless night. It looked even better than the last key.  
  
Taro didn't hesitate too long to marvel it, though. He nodded and turned. As he started to go out again, he heard Kiyoshi cry out again, "Wait! Taro!"  
  
"What?" Taro asked, turning to look exasperatedly at his friend.  
  
The grip tightened on Kiyoshi's staff. The younger boy looked determined. "...I'm going with you..."  
  
"Don't be stupid! Normal weapons don't work against these guys! I don't want to have to baby-"  
  
"Taro, she's my sister!" Kiyoshi interrupted angrily. "And Hyotoko is my friend-I'm not letting you fight that man alone!"  
  
Taro hesitated, then snorted. "Guess I can't stop you. Come along, then. Maybe by some miracle, we'll find a way out of this place." He pulled the hood and ran out, Kiyoshi not far behind.  
  
They skidded to a stop and looked around frantically. "He's gone! So are the others...!" Kiyoshi yelled.  
  
"Dammit!" Taro growled. He spotted someone kneeling in front of the glass double-doors of the building, dark and shadowed due to the lit backdrop. "Oi!" he called. Kiyoshi looked over at the kneeling figure. When the figure didn't reply, Taro tried again. "...Oi!"  
  
When the figure didn't reply, Taro said quietly, "Kiyoshi, go inside."  
  
"But Taro-"  
  
"Get inside!" Taro snapped. Kiyoshi looked over at Taro and noticed the grim, solemn expression on his face. Taro rarely ever looked like that. He looked even creepier with the hood pulled over his head.  
  
Kiyoshi nodded nervously and hesitantly skittered past the figure and inside. When he was gone, Taro looked up at the building, then back down at the figure and slowly walked out to the middle of the street. The figure got up from one knee. Taro stared at Riku-for that is who it was- indifferently. There was several moments of silent understanding between the two. Thunder rumbled and a flash of lightning cracked, then split the sky with light, lighting up the two black-clothed figures eerily. Finally, Taro opened his mouth up to speak. When he did, his voice was quiet and steady, but grim.  
  
"Where's Sora?"  
  
kata-the art of combining all the attacking and blocking techniques in a highly skilled and refined sequence. Nearly every type of martial arts has these.  
  
Ninjutsu-the martial arts used by ninjas.  
  
Author's Note-Like I said, I was going to try to get as many scenes and quotes that I saw in the trailer into this fic as much as I could. When I saw the kid with the two keyblades in the trailer, I was amazed. The kid was good enough to make Sora look like a wimp! But Taro is no ordinary boy...then again, who is in this fanfic? Anyways, please review! Ja ne. 


	5. Suicidal Dives

Author's Note-Whee! A review, finally. Well, anyways. Sorry it took so long for posting... Oh, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Riku was caught off guard by the question, and his expression showed it. But he smiled, and Taro could tell that it was a bit sad. "So you know now... It was only a matter of time. Damn that Chaos..." He brushed a couple of bangs away from his face.  
  
Taro glared. "So you didn't lose your memory. It's been there all along. Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"I couldn't. I had my orders. And I still do."  
  
"Orders? What orders?"  
  
"...To take you to my master..."  
  
Taro got into fighting stance. Riku smiled again a bit weakly. Sadly. "You'd fight me...the similarities are so obvious..."  
  
"Cut the crap, Riku. So you want to kidnap me?! And I suppose that you're responsible for everything else that's been goin on, too!" Taro accused. "And here I thought you were our friend!"  
  
"I am your friend!" Riku shot back. "And it's going to kill me." He pressed a hand to his chest where his heart was.  
  
Taro blinked, this time being the one to be caught off guard. "...What do you mean?"  
  
"...They own me, but I won't do what they say."  
  
"They? Who's they? Riku, you're not making any sense..."  
  
"The Nobody."  
  
"The Nobody? What are the Nobody?" Taro asked. As he said it, he could feel a chill go down his spine.  
  
"Who is Nobody, you ask? They are the nonexistent ones." Riku replied. "The third enemy..." he added softly. Then, back to his normal tone, he explained, "They gave me orders, but I will be free, or die trying to. I will not turn my back on my friends again. I will not hand you over to them." His hand now clutched at his heart slightly, wrinkling the jacket.  
  
"But why are they after me? And what will they do to you?"  
  
"Because you're the dual wielder. But I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to help you. You and Kiyoshi. As for what they'll do to me? Well, they're not gonna be to happy, so probably they'll torture me as punishment and when I still don't do as they say, I'll suffer a slow and painful death."  
  
Taro's eyes widened and he took a step forward. "Riku..."  
  
Riku only grinned in spite. "Now c'mon. There's a gummi ship at the top of the skyscraper. I'll get you and Kiyoshi to Traverse Town where we'll hopefully meet up with Sora. I don't know where he is, but he does visit there every now and then. Let's go." He turned and walked to the door. Taro started to follow but several shadows appeared out of the ground in front of him.  
  
Riku turned and 'saw' several shadows arise from the ground in front of his friend, who to him was just a being of bright white light. "Chaos..." he snarled, his fists clenching.  
  
Taro looked around and at the shadows. He saw Riku stop. Then he called, "Riku, go help Kiyoshi! I can take care of these guys! I'll meet up with you in a couple of minutes! Hurry!"  
  
Riku nodded and ran inside. Taro looked around. The creatures were growing more and more in number, crowding-in fact, packing-the street. "...This doesn't look good..." he said. He decided to calmly wait until his opponents stopped multiplying.  
  
Meanwhile, Riku and Kiyoshi reached the top of the elevator and ran out into the hall of the top floor. They ran to the stairs, to the roof, and climbed up. Opening the door, the rain hit them in a torrent and the boys shielded their faces to block it out.  
  
"Oi, kid. You have that rope and hook thing, right?" Riku said.  
  
"My kaginawa? Er...yeah..."  
  
"Well, now's your time to use it. Yeah. From this point on, you'll have to put your training to use." Riku said, nodding.  
  
"But what about Taro?!" Kiyoshi demanded.  
  
"You're too important to get kidnapped. I would have prevented it all if I could, but I can't. Hyotoko and Sakura are being used as bait and you're the only one that's left. He has to have the responsibility to protecting you, now. That responsibility will keep him from falling into darkness for the time being."  
  
"But isn't he coming?!"  
  
"He'll be up here in a few minutes." Riku assured the younger boy. "Now hurry up with that rope."  
  
Kiyoshi hesitated, unable to bear looking down to see what was happening to his best friend below, then nodded. "Alright." With that, he unhooked the kaginawa from his belt. "On the TV, right?" Without waiting for an answer, he expertly tossed the hook up to latch onto the top of the giant TV screen."  
  
They climbed up to the top and dropped down to the center of the circle of TV screens. They landed next to a spaceship. A gummi ship. "Inside." Riku ordered as he thought he saw a shadow on top of the TV screens. A humanoid shadow.  
  
He and Kiyoshi flung the door open and ran inside. Riku immediately made a beeline to the control panel and took off his gloves. His fingers brushed across the buttons and he rapidly began to type. "Riku...?" Kiyoshi asked quietly.  
  
"I'm setting this thing on autopilot to Traverse Town." Riku explained.  
  
"But how can you tell what's what on this thing?" Kiyoshi asked.  
  
Riku moved his hand aside momentarily to show that there was Braille written on the keys. "This ship was made to fit my specifications for when I needed it." He finished. "Wait here." He said, going outside, shutting and locking the door behind him. The rain pounded down on him, yet, he spread his arms out wide, smiling, silently still thankful that he was out of the hell he was in before. As he did, he was unaware as the clouds above parted, revealing dozens of shooting stars.  
  
'Surprise, surprise.' He thought. 'You might get the dual wielder, you might not. But I'm gonna help them as much as I can to give you hell when you try.'  
  
With a powerful leap, he landed and stood on top of the TV screen. He 'looked' down to see a point of light in a mass of black-a teeming darkness. Riku's look grew a bit grim. 'This is worse than I thought. Chaos has gone crazy...' Riku thought.  
  
The light moved a couple of paces back as the darkness neared him. 'There's much more than I expected there to be...he's gonna need help.' Riku thought, reaching for his black blindfold.  
  
"Pull off that blindfold, Riku, and you're sentencing yourself to death." A voice said behind/next to him. Chaos.  
  
"Too bad then, huh?" Riku said. "Because this is my plan: Step one: give the non-existent hell." With that, the blindfold slipped off his face.  
  
And he opened dark blue eyes.  
  
***  
  
"Way too many..." Taro muttered, getting into fighting stance. "Just way too many..."  
  
He took a few steps back as the circle of creatures began to close in on him. A blackish-purple light like suddenly surrounded him. A heart shape. In fact, the noticed faintly that it was the shape of that symbol on the robot in the dream. Strangely, though, he felt energized. Strengthened. Much more powerful than before.  
  
The creatures, which had warily stayed outside of the light-watched the light fade. As soon as it did, they leapt forth. Taro twirled his body and his keyblades in speeds he never had before. The creatures burst at contact and splattered onto the pavement like ink. More just kept coming, though.  
  
"Just how many of these are there?!" he demanded, leaping up. The leap was much, /much/ higher than he expected, though. And still, the monsters followed him practically twenty feet into the air! Insane! He sliced at them as he rocketed up and looked down at the street.  
  
The street seethed and teemed with monsters, all seeming to be after him. "Holy..." That was the most that he was able to say before gravity took over and he began to fall. He landed perfectly in a crouch and jumped up to slash at more monsters. He looked towards the doors of the skyscraper. Like any other side, he was blocked off by a mass of shadows.  
  
"Guess I'll just have to make a path! He said. With that said, he twirled his keyblades beside him (being much practiced at this from his kodachis) and dove into the fray.  
  
***  
  
Riku tied the blindfold back on. After all, the city lights were really hurting his eyes. "So..." he muttered. "He really is the dual wielder..."  
  
"And you really are dead." Chaos said. Riku turned to him. "I'm going to enjoy killing you... I admire your spunk, kid, but there's a line called stupidity that you've crossed. You've been giving us trouble from the very start."  
  
Riku's smile faded away. He knew what was coming, but he wasn't going to give Chaos the benefit of his fear. His head lowered slightly. 'I'm sorry...Sora...Kairi...I thought I was going to see you again...just one last time...'  
  
"Ready?" Chaos said, a grin upon his face. His fist clenched tightly. Riku screamed in pain as he felt his heart being squeezed, about to burst. He dropped to his knees and clutched at his heart.  
  
This time, Chaos didn't let up. He drew out the pain to its fullest. Flashes of memory, images of friends-these are what flashed through Riku's mind.  
  
"Chaos, stop!" A voice behind Chaos ordered. A pale hand grabbed his shoulder roughly from behind.  
  
Chaos whirled around to see an unknown. It was an unknown with short, read hair and piercing green eyes. She-for it was a girl-was nearly up to his shoulders yet a teenager-fifteen or sixteen, it looked like. Chaos glared down at the girl as his fist slowly opened. Riku collapsed entirely, whimpering.  
  
"Don't kill him." The red-haired girl said firmly.  
  
"Why not?" Chaos growled.  
  
"We have no orders from the dark lord to do so."  
  
"Who cares?!"  
  
"I do! Disobey and you lose this body so graciously granted to you!"  
  
"I'm working on my own accord!"  
  
"Chaos, you will not harm him. You will refrain from sentencing him until your orders are clear. Tamara is right." A sharp voice commanded. Both unknowns looked over at a /third/ unknown, a tall one with a gold, glowing eye who walked out of a portal. Chaos looked crestfallen, but angry.  
  
"Silence, what are /you/ doing here?" he asked.  
  
"To stop you from making a terrible error. Riku...he will probably be needed for later. It is not yet clear. Either way, the boy belongs to the dark lord, not to us." The third unknown-apparently named Silence-said.  
  
"Yet he is one of us." Tamara said quietly.  
  
"The dark lord is providing us-we allow him ownership of this boy."  
  
Riku, at the mention of Silence's name, grinned and slowly stood up. This was an unknown that he could probably reason with. That wasn't ruled by homicidal intent. But reasoning is not what he did.  
  
***  
  
Taro's head jerked up to look at the roof as he heard a loud, blood- curdling scream from the top of the roof. 'Riku!' he thought. He sliced the monsters at the door and grabbed the handle. He tried to pull it open. No use-it was locked.  
  
"What the hell..." Taro growled. He turned to face the next wave of shadows before him. He raced back to the center of the street, slashing through shadows all the while.  
  
"There must be another way up!" he exclaimed, looking around a bit frantically. His eyes settled on the notches in the wall. 'There! But...can I do it...?' he blinked, then shrugged. 'Worth a shot...heh, if I don't try pulling off a Spiderman, then I'm dead. So what are my options, ne?' he thought.  
  
Slashing through the shadows as he got back up to the building, he leaped! His foot caught one of the notches of the building and began running up the wall. More shadows began to rise up out of the wall. The surprise nearly made him miss the next notch. "What the crap?!" he yelped, slashing at the shadows.  
  
There. There it was-the TV screen! He reached for his kaginawa as his keyblades disappeared...  
  
***  
  
Riku took a couple of steps back, his feet dangerously close to the edge. By now, all of the unknowns had acknowledged his presence. "Riku..." Tamara said quietly.  
  
Riku only grinned. "Like I said: I can find the others on my own. So I'll be leaving you all now. Take this message back to your master: I am not his slave like the rest of you are, and neither is Taro. From this day forth, watch your backs: because I am both your ally and your enemy. My place is...non-existent." With that and a roguish grin, he leapt off the TV.  
  
"Riku!" Tamara exclaimed.  
  
"The lunatic...!" Chaos yelled.  
  
Silence, hence his name, only watched grimly in silence.  
  
Author's Note-Well, that was chapter five. Please review! Ja ne! 


	6. Awakening

Author's Note-Sorry for the delay and happy Mother's Day! -sweatdrops as she rhymes- Eheh...um...right...anyways... ; Yeah, I'm being a bit delayed from being weighed down with school work and crap...but, I'm trying to post these chapters every day/night. So yeah...well, enjoy the fic, then.  
  
Taro flung his hook up and caught the top of the TV screen. Suddenly he saw a person jump off the TV. "Riku!" he exclaimed. He dug into his pocket for a backup rope and found it. He tossed the hook up and it caught.  
  
It was only by luck that Riku's hand grasped the rope. "Oi, thanks, kid." He called over, climbing down the rope as Taro climbed up past him. The screen was slick from rain.  
  
"No problem! Riku, what the hell's goin on out there?!" Taro called.  
  
"Don't go up there!" Riku called back.  
  
"What?! But Riku, Kiyoshi's-"  
  
At that moment, there was an explosion of sparks and flame.  
  
"Gone." Riku said as a gummi ship blasted out of the center of the TVs. That was all there was time to say before the force of the explosion knocked the hooks off the TV screens, sending them flying.  
  
Flying into the shadows below.  
-----  
A humanoid duck and dog walked through the dark halls of Hollow Bastion. "Er...Gawrsh, Donald. Do you think we'll find him here? I don't see him anywhere...in fact, I don't see anybody..."  
  
"We'll find him, Goofy. C'mon." the duck said determinedly, opening the 156th door to the castle. It was a big castle! They'd been searching all day today and all day yesterday, and they hadn't seen a single soul. The whole castle had been as silent as a tomb.  
  
"..." Goofy looked around. "Sora!" he called. The name echoed throughout the castle.  
  
"Quiet, you big palooka!" the duck snapped, shutting the door and going to the next one. As an afterthought, he called just as loudly, "Sora!"  
  
"Er...whadda 'bout this room?" Goofy asked, pointing to a door with a snowflake imprinted on it.  
  
"I doubt he's gonna be in there! That'd be a freezer or something. Don't open it." Donald ordered.  
  
"Uh..." Goofy, who had already gone inside, said. "Gee, it's cold in here..."  
  
"Ah! Goofy!" Donald shouted. His voice reverberated eerily off the wall. He ran in after his dog friend. "I told you not to-whoa..."  
  
The two looked around at all the capsules in the room. Berths. They were glass with a light blue liquid inside. And floating in that liquid was-  
  
"Donald, look! People...!"  
-----  
"Kairi! ...I'm okay, Kairi. See? Don't worry-I'm gonna try to get back to you soon. I promise." A boy said.  
  
The girl with red hair that was once short looked over at the boy with sad, blue eyes. "But Sora...you said that a year ago. What happened to you? You don't even come to visit..."  
  
The boy-Sora-sighed and laid back on the paopu tree like he used to when they watched the sunset from there. It was almost like old times, only, they were missing someone... "I don't know, Kairi... I really don't know. I mean, aren't we home right now?"  
  
"Only in my dreams!" Kairi argued. "When I wake up, I'm home and you're not there!"  
  
"That's strange..." Sora mumbled. "I'm here all the time...except..." he sat up took Kairi by the hand. "Follow me." With that, he pulled her to the secret place. The door...it was gone to reveal a black void. "I explored inside a few hours ago. I saw someone there-a kid that looked like me. Only...he was blond... We fought a heartless-one that I had never seen before; one that was pretty powerful. Kairi, I think something is going to happen. Something soon."  
  
"Do you think it could be the Heartless?" Kairi asked a bit fearfully.  
  
"...Dunno..."  
  
"Sora, if I stop hearing your voice, I'm...I'm going after you."  
  
Sora, who had been observing the doorway, smiled. "Don't be silly, Kairi. You'd be much safer staying he-" He turned, only to see that Kairi was gone. He sighed. "Not again..."  
  
Slowly, he walked out of the Secret Place to see that night had fallen early. Storm clouds moved towards the island, floating threateningly on the horizon and making the already dark sky darker and quite ominous looking. "Uh oh. Rain clouds. I should probably take shelter."

-----

"What?!" Donald exclaimed. He looked around, looked into the berths. Inside, people /did/ sleep.  
  
People like Leon, Cloud, Cid, Aerith, and Yuffie.  
  
"Hey! It's the others!" Goofy exclaimed.  
  
"We've got to get them out of there!" Donald said. He began to run through his spells. "Fire!" he yelled. A fireball shot from his staff and was just kind of absorbed by the plexi-glass.  
  
At this result, he tried his next spell. "...Freeze!"  
  
This time, an iceball bounced around the room, off the plexi-glass, and back to Donald. "Wha...!" Was all that the duck had time to say before he was frozen in ice.  
  
Goofy blinked. "Maybe all you have to do is press these here buttons..." he said, going to a control panel nearby. He pressed several random buttons. With a dramatic cloud of mist, the liquid drained out of one of the berths and the plexi-glass slid open.  
  
Blue eyes opened slowly as a tall brunette slowly took off his oxygen mask. He stepped out and then grimaced as his hand flew to the long gash drawn down his arm.  
  
"Leon!" Goofy exclaimed.  
  
"Goofy...?" Leon said. Unused legs suddenly gave out on him and he suddenly fell to his knees.  
  
"Yeah. Leon, what's the matter?"  
  
"Where's Sora?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
The ice around Donald shattered. "Leon!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Where is Sora?" Leon repeated.  
  
"That's who we've been looking for! And for a year, no less!" Donald quacked. He saw Leon's wound and raised his staff. "Heal!"  
  
Green light floated around Leon's wound, but then turned red. Leon bit back a cry of pain as it felt like someone had shoved a hot-iron sword into the wound. The three watched in bewilderment as the gash began to bleed again. Leon closed his eyes and shook his head, then stood up and started weakly over to the first aid kit to treat his wound the old- fashioned way.  
  
"What happened, Leon?" Donald asked, a bit concerned.  
  
"We were attacked..." Leon said simply.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We were in the entrance hall...there was a swarm of Heartless...we were overrun...and the man who led them...Silence..." Leon looked up from his bloody bandages at Donald and Goofy, who stared at him quietly. "...No, Silence was the man's name..." he said.  
  
"Silence?" Donald repeated.  
  
Leon nodded slowly. "Yes...and if I remember right, Silence was a very important man in the royal court."  
  
"Hey! It's Sora! It's Sora, you guys!" they heard Goofy call from the back of the room.  
  
Leon finished tying his bandage and followed Donald to Goofy. They looked up to see a huge glass bubble, the glass tinted a green color. The bubble was filled with some kind of liquid. In the center of the bubble floated Sora, eyes closed, with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. Several wires were hooked up to the boy, and Sora had his arms spread out and his head was lowered, forming a cross. Underneath the bubble was a control consol.  
  
"What the hell..." Leon sighed, beginning to work on the consol.  
-----   
The wind whipped through the brunette's hair. Sora had been unable to get inside anywhere. All of the doors had been locked, and there seemed to be a ward in the doorway to the tree house... He walked out to the small island and stared up at the sky. 'This storm...it looks fishy...' he thought.  
  
Suddenly, shadows began to rise from the ground. "Heartless!" he cried. He reached for his keyblade-it was gone! And these were new and improved shadow Heartless, too.  
  
The Heartless leapt upon the defenseless boy and stabbed his ankles, arms, wrist, chest, back, and back of the neck with their claws. The next thing he knew, the claws were drawn slowly out as he was lifted into the air, then shot off like a bullet. He was flying back over the dark, choppy waves of the sea. Flying into a Heartless symbol of light.  
  
"Fragments... Fragments of memory...fragments of heart...the Heartless will strive for them...and they will never be satisfied...until they have your heart..." a voice, the voice from the dream, whispered.

-----

"He's coming to!" Donald exclaimed, his face right over the brunette boy's. The liquid had drained out and the wires and needles had slid out. The oxygen mask fell off and Sora had dropped through the little doorway at the bottom of the tank, caught by the duck and then laid down on the marble floor. Sora coughed again. Goofy and Leon came over to stare down at the boy. Dark blue eyes slowly opened.  
  
"Donald...? Goofy...? Leon...? What happened?" Sora muttered.  
  
"That's what we'd like to know..." Donald said.  
  
"How did you get like that?" Leon asked.  
  
Sora frowned has he slowly sat up and thought back...  
  
-flashback-  
  
"Donald? Goofy? Pluto?" Sora called, looking around. He walked a few more steps forward, then turned back to the forest that he'd just come out of. "Man..." he sighed. "Now I've lost them, too. Great..."  
  
He kicked a rock. He turned back to the path that stretched into the hills. "Oh well..." He began walking down the path again. "Donald." He called. "Goofy."  
  
He kicked another rock and watched it go around the bend. "I have the worst luck..." he grumbled, following the rock. Suddenly he heard something. Saw something. The flash and sound of a blade?  
  
He ran over to see a black figure wielding a golden keyblade. Wait. A /keyblade/?  
  
"King Mickey!" Sora exclaimed. Suddenly King Mickey turned and pointed the Keyblade at him. Sora suddenly felt himself being jerked back and flying into darkness.  
  
The last words that he heard spoken was King Mickey saying "Oh dear..."  
  
-end of flashback-  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would King Mickey do something like that to you?!" Donald demanded.  
  
Goofy covered his mouth, eyes wide. "Suppose he turned evil like...Ansem..."  
  
"..." Leon stood up and went over to the other control panel for the berths.  
  
"Don't be a bumblebrain! King Mickey would never turn evil!" Donald snapped.  
  
"Don't be so sure. We all thought the same thing." Leon said, his eyes never leaving the panel.  
  
Ja ne-Until next time (I believe...)  
  
Author's Note-Yay! Sora is finally in the ficcy! And not just a dream! Aren't you guys excited? -sees all the people that don't like Sora shake their heads- Oh...well...I'm sure some of you are. wonders if there are any Sora fans in the room in the first place Right...well, anyways, please review... 


	7. He Looks Just Like You

Author's Note-As I said, sorry that I haven't been updating lately. School's hell over here. But anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Oh yes, and thank you for the reviews so far.   
  
Taro woke up to the light sound of rolling waves. He blinked slowly. "What a...dream..." he mumbled sleepily, sitting up. He looked around. "Ah! It wasn't a dream! ...Where am I...?"  
  
It was dark. It was also apparent that he was on a rocky beach. He stood up and leaned a bit on a rock formation, one of the many arches in the area, feeling slightly dizzy. He winced as he felt a slight pain on his forehead. He brought away his hand to touch it and then looked at it. A dark stain on his fingertips. Blood.  
  
Strange, though. The pain he felt was faint. Practically obsolete. It was as if someone had used novocain on it...  
  
He shrugged it away. He pushed himself away from the rock and looked around. "Hello?" he called. Suddenly, everything that had happened to him earlier came back to him-the dream, the building, the monsters-everything. And suddenly he felt really quite alone.  
  
"Riku!" he called. His voice echoed throughout the area. "Anybody!" Silence...  
  
A gust of wind rustled his hair. He pulled up his hood, sat down on a rock sighing, and stared into the night at the light that pierced the darkness on the horizon. He blinked as a light caught his eye. He looked over to a white, glowing heart symbol on a rock. The same sign he had seen before.  
  
Suddenly a figure appeared. Just walked right out of the rock. Taro nearly yelped, but by now he was getting accustomed to strange things going one, so he was able to maintain a calm composure. The figure-a person wearing a black coat like his-lifted his head to reveal a golden, glowing eye. Taro raised an eyebrow as he watched the man slowly walk over to him.  
  
"...You're wounded..." the man said.  
  
Taro smiled slightly. "It's nothing...who are you?"  
  
"...My name is Eternal..."  
  
"What happened? Where am I?"  
  
"A world between-a forgotten world. The gathering place. You were saved by my comrade, Tam...she brought you here, to the edge of our world." Eternal explained quietly.  
  
"How far is it to Twilight Town, then? Or better yet, how far is it to Traverse Town?"  
  
"...Quite far to both places."  
  
"Can I walk there?"  
  
"You would need a spaceship..."  
  
"Damn." Taro sighed. "Well, is there any civilization nearby?"  
  
The light in the distance is a forbidden castle. That is all that is nearby."  
  
"/That's nearby/?! Taro exclaimed. He sweatdropped. "Then I don't even wanna know how close the nearest town is... Hm..."  
  
"...What is it that you plan on doing, young one?"  
  
"Well, there's not really all that much I /can/ do at the moment... So I'm going to seek out Sora. Problem is, I don't even know what he looks like. I only saw him in a dream, so I don't know if that's what he really looked like or what..." Taro smiled a bit weakly.  
  
Pause. Then, "...He looks just like you..."  
  
Taro blinked and turned to the man. "You know Sor-" That's when he saw that the man had vanished. He sighed.  
-----  
"Sir! We've had a breech in the specimen holding room." Tamara said. She stood in the library.  
  
The man sitting at the desk sighed. "Probably King Mickey's lackies..." he turned to a figure on the stairs. "Machi, we have intruders in the specimen holding room. Please go and greet our unwelcome guests..."  
  
The small figure, wearing a black unknown coat, jumped up. "Okay!" she said, running out a bit hyperly.  
  
The man blinked back at Tamara. "Now, status?"  
  
"On the prisoners?"  
  
"...Yes..."  
  
Tamara took off one of her gloves and began to twist it in her hands nervously. If one looked, they could see the apparent scars on her pale hand. "The boy we have in the dungeons...he will become one of us very shortly...the girl, however, appears to pose quite a problem. She seems to be...protected. I suspect that it is magic. We've been able to extract her heart from her body, but that is all we can do. The body and heart permits no harm and no darkness to taint either of them."  
  
"I see..."  
  
"Yes...we are awaiting your orders, your highness..."  
  
"The boy. Hyotoko, correct?"  
  
Tamara nodded.  
  
"Do not allow him to know that we have the girl's heart. Only the body. We will run several tests on the girl's heart and see if she is one of them. Perhaps manipulating this boy with the girl will turn out as well as manipulating Riku with Princess Kairi did..."  
  
At Riku's name, Tamara winced slightly. She was /not/ looking forward to telling her master about Riku's little change in who follow. "Yes sir..."  
  
"And the boy?"  
  
"...As I said, he is in the dunge-"  
  
"Not that boy. The other one. The youngest one."  
  
Tamara gulped nervously. "He...he got away...we are currently unable to identify his exact location. However-"  
  
"However nothing." The man said darkly, brushing his thumb across his fingers. Tamara cried out in pain as her scars suddenly reopened, blood trickling down her hand. "I send you and two others to fetch me four children-/children/, for crying out loud and you lose the youngest! If you cannot even complete for me the most simplest of tasks, I will soon have no use for you! Where was Riku throughout all of this?!"  
  
"He...It appears that he has defected..." Tamara squeaked.  
  
"Keh. Defected, huh?" the man swept his thumb over his fingers the opposite way, as if smoothing something back out. Indeed, the wounds on Tamara's hand resealed themselves shut and faded back into scars. Tamara tensed slightly. "So, the brat thinks he can outwit me and find his friends to destroy me for good, correct?"  
  
Tamara nodded nervously, the memory of pain still fresh in her mind. "Y-yes...he said before leaving that he was no longer going to obey your orders..."  
  
"Foolish brat. He must think he's so clever..." the man sneered.  
  
"Your orders, sir...?  
  
"Hm...not that it so much matters considering that Riku is not among your responsibility. Riku is left to Chaos and Silence." The man reprimanded. Tamara winced slightly.  
  
"However, I shall tell you anyway, and you may as well relay the message to your comrades for me." The man said. Tamara blinked. The boy shall be brought to me and-"  
  
"But sir, we....we lost him, too. Riku has disappeared-we cannot find him anywhere."  
  
The man growled. "Damn brat...where was his last appearance?"  
  
"He jumped off the tallest building in Twilight Town, so he is presumably dead."  
  
"Nonsense. He's still alive-I can feel it. You and Chaos will scour out Twilight Town as soon as the Heartless have finished off its residents. What of the dual wielder? He is not here now, so he escaped as well, I presume?"  
  
"We spotted him falling from the skyscraper. I caught him. He is on the borderline our world."  
  
"Is he headed here?"  
  
"Most likely."  
  
"Perfect. Make sure that he makes it here. I myself would like to see the boy in person. See if we can manipulate him to our side. His heart should be one of the final keys to leading us to where we need to go."  
  
Tamara bowed. "Yes Sir. Those are all of your commands?"  
  
"Yes. You are free to go." The man said. Then, as Tamara began to leave, he said, "...Oh yes. If Machi can't take care of the intruders, you and the rest of the non-existent shall greet them. This includes among you Hyotoko."  
  
Tamara hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes Sir." She said. She then left.  
  
The man shook his head and sighed. "Kids today..."  
  
Author's Note-Well, that's chapter seven. Please review! I'll try to get the next chappie out as soon as possible. Oh yeah, and I saw one of the trailers again and found out Taro's Oath Orb was blue. Oh well. Technicalities, technicalities. –wavewave- 


	8. Fragments of the Heart

Author's Note-Hiyos! Real sorry I haven't been posting lately, but like I said, I've been busy with school and stuff. But by the end of this week, hopefully I'll have plenty of time to write and post. Now, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Got it? Okay, we're all happy now...  
  
Yuffie yawned as she stepped out of her berth. Cid was looking around, and Aerith was checking the wound on Cloud's shoulder and waist. Sora frowned. "What happened to you guys? What happened here?"  
  
"The place was attacked by Heartless." Leon said. "And one of Ansem's former advisors, Silence."  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"C'mon, Squall!" Yuffie whined. "You can miss your training for one day to have lunch with me! Please?"  
  
"...I think not. And that's Leon."  
  
"But Squall-"  
  
"Leon."  
  
"But I really want-"  
  
The doors to the entrance hall were suddenly flung open and a man who looked very tired, pale, and afraid stumbled in. "Heart...Heart...Heartless!" the man shouted before collapsing in a heap.  
  
Everyone exchanged glances a bit nervously, a few fearful. Leon's expression was grim. He turned as he heard footsteps behind him to see his younger brother, Cloud. His grim expression matched Leon's. "...Did you hear that? He said..." Cloud started.  
  
Leon nodded. "Heartless, I know." He finished. He turned to look back at the scene and Yuffie, who had slipped away and down the stairs, and was now kneeling down next to the man. She seemed to be reassuring him and checking the bleeding cuts on the man's body.  
  
Everyone suddenly heard some kind of quiet, whispery, almost hissing voice from inside the door. For some reason, the doorway, all outside was pitch black as if it where night, only darker. "Attack them...capture them, surround them and attack few..."  
  
Everyone stared at the door. Yuffie slowly looked up at the dark opening, frozen. There was a twitch inside the darkness. That seemed to cut loose the chaos.  
  
"Yuffie! Move it!" Leon yelled, jumping off the balcony of the second story and running over to her. He was knocked off his feet and onto his back as a huge wave of darkness surged forth out of the door and overran him. No, not darkness, Heartless! A huge mass of Heartless! Like the shadows, only a lot more different.  
  
A lot more deadly.  
  
There was instant panic. Shrieks and screaming filled the room as everybody rushed to the lift stop. Leon struggled to get up, to stand up and get his Gunblade as the Heartless piled on top of him and scratched at him. No use. He continued to try, though. He had to get to Yuffie!  
  
There was the sudden flash of steel above him and he saw his brother standing by him in fighting stance. "You okay, Squall?"  
  
"Where's Yuffie?" Leon demanded. Cloud looked around as Leon jumped up, unsheathing the Gunblade.  
  
"There! Surrounded by Heartless!"  
  
"What?!" Leon frowned. "Cloud, make sure that the people exit safely. I'm going to go help Yuffie." With that, he leapt over to the trapped girl. He landed in front of Yuffie and slashed through the Heartless around them.  
  
"Are you okay, Yuffie?"  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Yeah... Th-thanks, Squall..."  
  
"Leon." Leon replied automatically. By now it was practically habit.  
  
"Cloud! Leon! Yuffie!" a voice called up from the balcony. "C'mon, hurry up! We need to evacuate!"  
  
The three, now the only ones in the room aside from this new person and the Heartless, looked up to see-  
  
"Aerith!" Cloud yelled.  
  
"Yuffie, Aerith, hurry up and go. We'll meet up with you." Leon ordered. Yuffie hesitated, then nodded and grabbed Aerith's arm and ran. Cloud and Leon watched as the Heartless slunk to the sides of the room and the two heard soft footsteps echoing in the dark doorway in front of them, as if out the door wasn't to outside, but a long, dark hallway. A humanoid shadow appeared in the doorway. They saw the head raise and a golden, glowing eye stared at them. There was only one person on Hollow Bastion that had a single glowing eye. An advisor that hadn't been seen since the first disappearance of Ansem.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Squall Leonhart..." the man said. He looked over at Cloud. "And Cloud Strife as well..."  
  
The brothers couldn't see Silence's face very well. The hood shadowed most of the face well. However, the emotions were apparent on the visible part of his face. And what they could see was a look of amusement.  
  
"Silence..." Leon said. He took a couple of steps forward. "You are commanding the Heartless. I should have known... Ansem's most loyal advisor..."  
  
"Nightmares do not die, Leonhart. And neither does darkness."  
  
"The keyhole is sealed. The doors to darkness are shut. Ansem is gone. You have no allies to help you and no leader to follow. Sora is likely to return from his journey soon. If you are really as wise as they say you are, you should have more than enough sense to back down now and quit while you are still ahead." Leon warned.  
  
This warning, however, had no negative effects on the hooded man whatsoever. Rather, it made him smirk. "All blasphemy my young man, all blasphemy. Do not try to preach a truth that you don't know-that makes you unsure. What I need, what we need, are the heart fragments."  
  
"Heart fragments?" Cloud questioned.  
  
"Yes. I will not even question you on where to find the first fragment, for you know the one who holds it, yet you know not his location."  
  
Leon and Cloud exchanged glances. "...Sora...?" Leon asked.  
  
The glow disappeared momentarily as the advisor closed his eyes. "Too many questions, too little time..." Silence said mysteriously. "We ourselves are not entirely sure of all who have the heart fragments, so everyone in this castle are candidates for testing." The eye snapped open, narrowing at Cloud and Leon. "Including the two of you. Heartless! Take them to the specimen room and lock them up! Keep them frozen until my master and I decide to look into their hearts."  
  
The Heartless all leapt into fighting stance. However, Cloud and Leon did as well. They were surrounded and definitely outnumbered. They saw a little blond girl who had to be no older than the age of seven or eight walk calmly over to Silence. The advisor placed his left hand on her shoulder, and lifted his right hand up in a small wave.  
  
The Heartless sprang upon Cloud and Leon. The brothers tried their best to fight the monsters, but their attacks were eluded, their dodges were of no use. It became very clear that this was a battle they could not win when Leon's arm was split with dark claws, when Cloud's shoulder and waist was slashed. There was a sudden moment when time just seemed to freeze. Leon and Cloud suddenly turned to look over at the girl and Silence, whose eye seemed to be glowing a bit brighter than usual, and then suddenly everything went black.  
  
-End of Flashback-  
  
"The Heart fragments...?" Sora asked.  
  
"Yes. And we're pretty sure that you have one." Leon replied.  
  
"Well that's weird..."  
  
"You don't know the half of it." A child's voice said playfully from the door. Everyone turned to see a little girl with long blond hair and blue-green eyes. The girl that had gone to Silence.  
  
"...Who are you...?" Sora asked suspiciously.  
  
The girl smirked playfully. "That's for me to know and you...well, I doubt that you'll find out, but oh well, ne?" the little girl said.  
  
Sora walked up to the girl. "...Let us pass. Please?"  
  
"I don't think so!" the girl sang.  
  
Suddenly, a dagger from her sleeve flicked into her hand. Sora's eyes widened as he saw the dagger rush to his waist. The boy blocked with his keyblade, the Oathkeeper. "What the hell...?!"  
  
"Go back to your tank now, little Sora, and I won't have to harm you." The blond said, still in a sing-song voice.  
  
"That's not going to happen! I have to find my friend Riku!"  
  
The little girl blinked, then grinned again, this time, even giggling slightly. "Riku?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Riku, Riku! Follow me, then..." the girl said, skipping down the hall.  
  
Sora ran after her. Donald and Goofy followed. Leon and Cloud started to follow as well but got stopped by their injuries. "You two are too injured to follow. Let's get you to your rooms." Aerith said.  
  
"No..." Leon said. "We should take the Highwind back to Traverse Town. Hollow Bastion isn't safe anymore. Once again...I get the feeling that this is over our heads..."  
  
Author's Note-Well, that was chapter eight (finally!) It's 2 A.M...I just finished typing up this chapter... -yawn- I think I'm gonna get some sleep. Please review! Ja ne! 


	9. Atonement

Author's Note-Yay! School's out! And now I get to have plenty of time to write more! Oh, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Sora ran into the entrance hall and stopped in his tracks as a bit of silver caught his eye. "R-Riku...?" He walked slowly over to the balcony and saw a boy on his hands and knees, one hand clutching at his heart. He had long silver hair, a black coat that matched the little girl's, and...a blindfold? "Riku!"  
  
"But...you said you would send the dual wielder out to kill Sora..." Riku said.  
  
Once again, Sora was stopped in his tracks. "What...?" he said, confused. He frowned, then jumped down and started over to the older boy, who suddenly disappeared; just dissolved into a black mist that surrounded Sora, then parted slowly like stage curtains.  
  
"Riku!" Sora cried. Laughter was heard around him. Child's laughter, a little girl's laughter. Sora glared and turned to face the girl behind him, who was standing on the fountain and looking playfully at him.  
  
"You found me..." the girl teased as if this were some schoolyard game.  
  
"Tell me. What have you done with Riku?!" Sora demanded.  
  
"You really what him back? Even after you saw that he wants you dead?" the child asked, tilting her head and blinking.  
  
"Yeah. Riku and I will always be friends, no matter what. I don't believe that he wants me dead. I won't believe it! So where is he? You're hurting him!"  
  
The girl giggled again. "You ask too many questions, little Sora." She said, calling him 'little' despite the vast difference in size and age. This only made Sora madder as he got into fighting stance with his keyblade. The blond was only more amused. "So you want to fight me, huh? Well then. Let's see you try it."  
  
Sora swiped at her with his keyblade. She leaped and landed upon his head, then to the floor behind him. Sora spun around and tried using the Sonic technique on her twice, both which were dodged. The girl's tiny body allowed her to be very quick and slip out of the way of his attacks, even Ars Arcanumn. At one point, she back flipped and landed on one of the two platforms by the balcony as Sora slid to a stop across the tile. "Patetic. If you can't beat me, then there's no way you will beat the others!"  
  
"Don't you mean pathetic?" Sora said, jumping up and slashing. The blond merely jumped out of reach on the banister.  
  
"Yep. No wonder the dual wielder needs to protect you."  
  
"Dual wielder? Who is that?"  
  
"You don't know, you don't know!" the girl teased.  
  
Sora unleashed a Ragnarock combo on the girl. The girl tried to dodge but couldn't and screamed. She was hit and landed on the floor, sliding back. "Ow...!" she exclaimed.  
  
Sora walked over to her. "...Now will you tell me?"  
  
The girl stared up at him tearfully, sniffling for a few moments, then jumped and slashed at his waist with her dagger. She then turned and ran.  
  
Sora pressed a hand to his wound and raised his keyblade. "He-ahh!" he cried as his knees buckled. They hit the marble, bruising. "The blade...it was poison..." he said. He lifted his keyblade again, weakly, wavering a bit. It felt heavier than it should have. "Heal..."  
  
The wound and then most of his body glowed green for a couple of moments, then healed. He stood up and looked down at his blood-stained cloths. "Gotta get some new clothes..." he muttered, standing up. He started out of the room.  
-----

Riku sat on his bed in his room, which was formally the guest room in Taro's house, and listened to the raindrops pattering down on the window nearby. Listened to the occasional screams outside as the Heartless attacked their next unsuspecting victims.  
  
Taro...he was gone. He had to be gone, because there was no way a person of light could have survived falling into a street full of Heartless without warning, even the double wielder. Besides, he didn't see Taro's light anywhere after he landed.  
  
He had let down his friends. Again. If only he could've stopped all this...  
  
He lowered his head. He had let everybody down. He had tried his very hardest to save them and once again, he had failed.  
  
"What a lousy friend I am..." Riku muttered. There was a long silence, excluding the sound of raindrops. The Heartless must have finished with their victims. Now it was only a matter of time until they found the few that were hidden.  
  
Until they found him.  
  
Then, suddenly, "Riku...Riku..."  
  
Riku's head jerked up. "Who the hell..." he muttered. He saw no light...a shadow? No, he saw no being of darkness either. What was going on? Was he hearing things?  
  
"Come to me, Riku..."  
  
"I can't see you. Who are you? Where are you?" Riku demanded, standing.  
  
"Ceridwen." A small light appeared before his eyes. "Follow the light..."  
  
"A heart...?" Riku questioned. He knew that all he could see were people's hearts now, and the better the person, the brighter the heart and the brighter they were themselves. The eviler the person...well, they were just a shadow. There was the sound of chimes.  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
Riku frowned and took the staff from the corner and followed the light. Eventually his staff pushed aside a curtain after walking out of the house and down the street. The light flickered out and disappeared. Riku could see a being of light standing before him. The room smelled of incense. It kind of reminded him of one of the parts of Kiyoshi's and Sakura's house, the room that Mrs. Insei practiced a good deal of her new age stuff in.  
  
The being-whom he guessed was Ceridwen, turned to him. "Welcome, Riku."  
  
"Who are you? What do you want? And how do you know my name?" Riku demanded.  
  
"I am Ceridwen. I know...many things...especially when it involves masters of the keyblades." The woman said.  
  
"Tch. Then you're looking for the wrong guy. I'm not a keyblade master-Sora and Taro are. They're the only ones that can use the keyblades the right way. If you truly know about keyblade masters...then the fact that I'm not one of them should be obvious to you." Riku said, starting to turn and walk out.  
  
"Wait!" Ceridwen exclaimed. "You are one of the masters of the keyblades. You were just led down the wrong path..." Riku stopped. "We all make mistakes in life...however, it is best to see how you can rectify those mistakes as well as you can. I am in need of your assistance. This is your chance for atonement! Now...will you help me?"  
  
Riku turned. "Maybe...with what?"  
  
"Bringing one of my sons into this realm."  
  
"Wha..."  
  
"The door to light. It was tainted with evil, and now...it is the door to darkness. My son has guarded them for centuries. However, the prophecy has been set, destiny is taking its path, the boy is awakening, and he will be helped... The ancient enemy."  
  
Riku frowned. "Ancient enemy?"  
  
"Yes, the third enemy. You know them well, Riku."  
  
"And you say that this guardian kid that you want to bring back can take care of them?"  
  
"With your help, yes...his name is Yukiro. His body lies before you, yet he is without a heart." Ceridwen explained quietly.  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Donate."  
  
Riku's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You want me to donate my heart to him?"  
  
"Not quite. It needn't be your whole heart, but merely a sliver."  
  
"Would I be able to move? To fight?"  
  
"Yes, with Yukiro by your side to help you."  
  
"Alright...but what did you mean 'Door to Darkness?' Sora sealed the door to Kingdom Hearts. He sealed the door with me inside and believe me, there were no guards. And it did get shut."  
  
"The second of three... The gateway...to castle Oblivion..."  
  
"There's three doorways?"  
  
"Aye, child. A second kingdom."  
  
Riku straightened slightly. "Inside it darkness?"  
  
"Aye. Inside is darkness that will flow into this world, should the ancient enemy open it. Your friends need help. Now is your chance."  
  
Pause. Then, "Okay. Alright. What must I do?"  
  
"Just relax. This will not hurt."  
  
With that, Riku felt a warmth on his chest-the first warmth he had felt in a long time, in fact. The, he felt the warmth pass through his chest painlessly and encase his heart. As it withdrew, he felt a small piece of him pulled away. Then the words of an incantation filled the room.  
  
"Guardian of Light, I call your name.  
  
For now you are lifeless and tame.  
  
Come to this realm; Awaken your mind  
  
You now have a heart inside.  
  
The time has come for you to protect  
  
The power of darkness you must deflect  
  
Keep the Wishing Star away  
  
Keep the ancient enemy at bay.  
  
Awaken!"  
  
Riku watched as a line of light passed him, the line curving into the vertical shape of a human lying down. Suddenly, a being of light appeared before him. The person-Yukiro, he assumed-sat up, then stood up slowly. He turned to the other being, Ceridwen. "Mother." He said curtly with a slight bow. "And who is this?"  
  
"This is Riku, one of the holders. He helped bring you life in this realm by giving you a part of his heart." Ceridwen explained.  
  
"...Many thanks..." Yukiro said with another slight bow towards Riku. His gratitude didn't sound very sincere though.  
  
"He fights the ancient enemy as well. Therefore, you both will seek out the two other keyblade wielders."  
  
"He's a keyblade wielder?" Yukiro said doubtfully. "Don't look like much..."  
  
Riku glared and clenched his fists slightly. "I could say the same for you."  
  
"I'm sure ye could. You're blind." Yukiro shot back.  
  
"You little-"  
  
"Both of you! Please! You must get along to find the wielders!"  
  
"Keh. I don't need his help. Already I can see that this was a mistake." Riku said, turning on his heel and starting out.  
  
"You mustn't be so hasty, Riku! The ancient enemy is closing in on you! Soon you will be no longer sided with them." Ceridwen warned.  
  
"I'm not on their side now." Riku said.  
  
There was a sigh and footsteps next to him. "...C'mon, kid." Yukiro said.  
  
Riku's hand twitched slightly but he complied and followed Yukiro outside. Once they were down the street a bit, Riku finally demanded, "I said I was fine on my own. Why are you helping me?"  
  
Shadows suddenly surrounded them. Riku tensed slightly. A long, bladed staff appeared in Yukiro's hand. The Heartless leapt at them, about ready to strike...  
  
And Yukiro sliced through them with ease.  
  
"...That's why." Yukiro replied dryly.  
  
Author's Note- -looks at the paper rough draft and sweatdrops- Man...my final draft is catching up to my rough draft...I'm gonna have to start writing...a lot... -shrugs- Anyways, I'll try to post my chapters faster since I have more time to do so. Please review! It shall speed up the posting! Ja ne!


	10. Not So Golden Memories

Author's Note-Well, there's the next chapter. I've been coming up with some Disney worlds to put in here. If anybody has any suggestions, let me know. Oh, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Taro untied the rope from the rock. He'd been in luck-after exploring the coastline for awhile, he found a rowboat tied up to the rock. He had to find Sora, and he was sure that the best place to start was the forbidden castle. Of course, he wasn't stealing the boat. He was commandeering it. With every intention of returning it. Some day...  
  
He jumped into the boat and began to float off. He looked at the shore. He hoped he would find someone. Soon...

-----  
Sora studied his new outfit for a few moments. His damp, bloody clothes had been discarded on the bed. He didn't seem too fond of these new clothes, but he figured that he'd get used to it. It was a pair of black paints and a black hoodie with a black and blue t-shirt and black, fingerless gloves and black and yellow shoes. Around his neck, he kept the necklace, unable to bear parting with it. Yeah. He would've chosen something else, but this was all he could find.  
  
He walked out of the room. "Donald. Goofy." He called, looking up and down the halls. He sighed. He'd lost them again.  
  
He walked back down to the entrance hall and began going through the lift stops. Eventually, he made it to being right outside the High Tower.  
  
"Sora!" Donald quacked, standing at the bottom of the High Tower with Goofy. They ran over to him.  
  
"Garwsh, we were looking for you! Nice duds..." Goofy commented.  
  
Sora smiled. "I was lookin for you guys, too!"  
  
-----

"She's just a lifeless puppet now? She's lost her heart?" A boy in an black jacket asked sadly. He stared down at the redhead who laid on the low platform in front of a giant, colorful keyhole.  
  
"Exactly." Said the man beside him.  
  
"How do I bring her back to life...?" the boy asked, his voice a near whisper. "How do I get her heart back?"  
  
"Do not fret, child. I shall help you, unlike that coward, Kiyoshi. And unlike that friend of yours who knows yet doesn't care, Taro. However we do need them."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We need Taro and Kiyoshi and Riku if you wish to retrieve the girl's heart. Along with a boy named Sora..."  
  
The boy nodded. "I'll do it. I don't know why we need them, but if it will help her..."  
  
The man nodded. "Follow me..." he said, turning and walking down the staircase. The boy placed a lingering hand on the girl's cheek.  
  
"Soon, Sakura...soon...I will help you. I swear it..." the boy said. With that, he pulled his hood up over his head and followed.  
-----  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy backed into each other as Heartless appeared around them.  
  
"So these are the Heartless Leon was talking about." Sora said.  
  
"What do we do?" Donald quacked.  
  
Sora watched several shadows rise in the doorway. "We don't have much of a choice. Guys, we're going to the chapel." With that, his keyblade appeared in his hand.  
  
"Er...what's that...?" Goofy asked, pointing to a cloaked figure that was appearing in a column of black mist. The figure raised his arms as if in calling, and sure enough, four more of these figures gathered around the first, spectators of the upcoming battle.  
  
"Who cares? Come on!" With that, he rushed into battle. His two friends followed. One of the figures walked to the first block of the tower steps. Sora frowned. _What's he planning? Is he going to try to stop us?_  
  
However, he, Donald, and Goofy tried to slice through the shadow Heartless that continued to appear around them. To Sora's dismay, the keyblade he was using was the Kingdom Key. What happened to his other key chains? Last he checked, he had the Oblivion keyblade.  
  
Oh well. It didn't matter. So long as he kept up his concentration, he could still slice through these shadows. They looked different, though. Taller. Thinner. As Leon described, much more deadlier.  
  
Finally, there seemed to be an end to the attacking dark wave. Sora breathed a sigh of relief and looked around at his comrades. "You guys okay?" he asked.  
  
Donald nodded and so did Goofy. Sora saw their nods and then looked back up at the figure, who was still watching them intently from the first block of the steps. Suddenly...  
  
"Sora!" Donald cried. Sora looked back to see a bunch of silver and black swirling pools appearing all around them. Sora got back into fighting stance for the next onslaught of what was to come. Unfortunately for him, he didn't expect it to come from underneath him...  
  
His eyes widened and he gasped as a hand caught his ankle in a steel grip. It turned out that he had been standing on one of the pools! He was lifted up into the air, hanging upside-down. The silver Heartless, for it was silver and sharp-clawed with sharp teeth, drew back a long, thin arm to slice him into pieces with quite remarkable flexibility.  
  
Sora swung his keyblade around wildly, and eventually made contact. His keyblade bit into and clean through the body of the Heartless. He fell to the ground as the Heartless dissipated. He landed quite clumsily and scampered up as quickly as he could and then rejoined his friends. He looked around, only to see that they were surrounded. Suddenly, several streaks of silver! They whipped past Sora and his friends, knocking them to the ground. Then they returned to their places around them, circling them.  
  
These Heartless seemed quite bendy and flexible as they hardly stepped, but somersaulted and flipped around them. Sora sat up. The sun rose, casting its rays upon the Heartless, making them shine. The Heartless twitched, then moved in to attack. Suddenly, a black form leapt down from the platform above. Sora could tell that this wasn't one that he had seen earlier-this one was too short. He watched as their savior flipped and twirled through the air, taking down their adversaries with ease with his gold keyblade.  
  
Wait. A _keyblade?_  
  
The figure turned to them. Sora fell forward onto his hands and knees in surprise, and when his comrades saw who had saved them, in their surprise, they jumped on him to get a better look, squashing him. But all that the two had to say was...  
  
_"King Mickey!"_  
-----  
Taro looked around as he stood on the platform. "This is so bizarre..." he muttered, as he watched the waterfall...or the rising falls, as he had to call them. "Water is supposed to go down, not up..." He then shrugged and thought not to stress himself out over such a trivial matter. "Well, best to see if I can find out where I am..."  
  
With that, with a bit of difficulty, he leapt from platform to platform, going up and up. He had a bit of trouble at some parts-trouble even to the point of where he had to stab the platform with one of his keyblades a couple of times and then climb his way up.  
  
He got to a part with a small stream running through the middle and stopped. Strange. He was getting...visions...right there. He could almost see something happening there, some...distant memory or something.  
  
_ Riku tossed a wooden sword to Sora, a keyblade now in his hands. "You were just the delivery boy. Go back to playing with your toys, Sora..."_  
  
Taro blinked. The people he saw...they were faint and translucent, like ghosts. Only the message was clear: Something had happened here before. And now he definitely knew that he was probably getting into a situation that was over his head.  
  
He turned away from the sight and jumped up onto the remaining platforms. He finally came to an archway. He took a few steps forward, looking out at the castle up ahead. He sighed. There was no bridge, no platforms, no nothing. He took a couple more steps forward, then turned. He didn't notice the lift coming down to pick him up until he had disappeared and suddenly saw himself on it. He turned to see him being pulled up to the castle and figured that he couldn't do anything but wait. He looked over the railing and gulped. Sure was a long way down...  
  
He turned back to the castle. Up on one of the towers-probably the highest tower, in fact-he saw people. And he may have been wrong, but it looked like a battle was raging up there. He suddenly appeared on the walkway around the castle. He looked around.  
  
"Huh...weird..." he commented. A bunch of monsters suddenly surrounded him. "Hey! Those are the monsters from town!" he exclaimed. Both keyblades appeared in his hands and went through a series of spins and twirls, slashing through the darkness. With that, he ran to the large doors and pushed them open with a loud, resounding creak.  
-----  
A girl watched the object streak closer, closer, into the ocean. Her blue eyes were bright and filled with wonder. "Woah! A falling star!" she exclaimed. Her black hair whipped around her in the ocean breeze. Her hands were clasped behind her back.  
  
"Maybe it's Sora and Riku! I've gotta tell Kairi!" She raced around the island to find her red-haired friend, then smacked her forehead. "Of course. She's in the secret place!"  
  
She ran to the secret place and not surprisingly saw Kairi sitting next to the drawing that she and Sora had drawn a year before. The redhead was leaning against a root, writing something.  
  
"Whatcha doin?" the brunette asked her friend cheerfully.  
  
"Writing a letter..." Kairi eyed her friend suspiciously. "Did you just have caffeine...?"  
  
Her dark-haired friend nodded energetically. "Two Dr. Peppers..."  
  
Kairi sighed. "Oh dear..."  
  
The brunette's grin grew wider. "Guess what!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just saw something fall out of the sky and drop into the ocean! It could be Riku and Sora!"  
  
Kairi's eyes widened and she jumped up and grabbed the shoulders of her friend. "Really?! Tifa, are you sure?!"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure if it was Riku and Sora, however, I did see something crash into the ocean." Tifa said in a matter-of-factly voice.  
  
Kairi, still wide-eyed, ran out of the cave. Tifa ran after her and grabbed her arm. "Wait!" she said.  
  
"What?" Kairi demanded.  
  
"It'll be sunset soon! Our parents wanted us home early today for the town spring fling."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So lets go so that we don't get in trouble. Then we slip out and sneak here later tonight. We tell our parents that we're staying over at each other's house, they never get any wiser. It's fool-proof!"  
  
"Well..."  
  
"C'mon! Please?"  
  
Kairi hesitated, glancing back at the secret place, then out at the ocean a bit longingly. "Oh... Alright..."  
  
"Alright, then! Let's go!" Tifa said, pulling Kairi to the boat.  
-----  
King Mickey grinned. "Hey, you guys!" he exclaimed.  
  
"King Mickey!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed again, climbing off their twitching brunette friend and running over to their king.  
  
Sora groaned as he sat back up again. He blinked. "King Mickey...?"  
  
Mickey turned to Sora. "Hey, Sora. Sorry for attacking and sending you here. I didn't know you weren't a Heartless until it was too late."  
  
Sora shrugged. "It's okay. It got me reunited with my friends. Now all I have to do is find Riku and then we can both go home to Kairi." He said optimistically. He looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Riku? Wasn't he with you?"  
  
The mouse king lowered he head and sighed. "No...he isn't...anymore..."  
  
Sora frowned, his blue eyes displaying worry. "No? What happened to him?"  
  
"Soon after the doors were shut, we lost each other in the darkness. But you need to find him anyways. Riku and Taro are in terrible danger!"  
  
"What? What kind of danger? And Taro? Who's Taro?"  
  
"Taro is none of your concern." Said a soft, young voice off to the side. The four looked over to se one of the hooded figures approaching them. Sora and the others got into fighting stance, though the figure appeared to be wielding no weapon. "However, you are. Help us...and we can help you find your friend..."  
  
"What?! You know where Riku is?!" Sora demanded.  
  
"I saw him only hours ago..." the figure said. He held out a hand. "C'mon. Help us. Join the darkness and you will find him. I can guarantee you that."  
  
The memory of when Riku disappeared into darkness flashed through Sora's mind. The memory of that fateful night on the island-how could he forget it! Sora shook his head. "No..." he said. "I'll find him myself...but I won't fall into darkness!"  
  
"Then you leave me with no choice..." the figure said. That's when Sora noticed that the figure was standing right next to a button on the wall.  
  
"What..."  
  
The figure slammed the button and suddenly, bars shot up out of the ground and around the mouse king, forming a cage. It lifted on a thin pole slightly, at least three feet off the ground.  
  
"Mouse trap."  
  
Author's Note-Okay, maybe I got Tifa a little ooc, but I've never played FF7 before and she had caffeine, so I have an excuse, as lame as that may be. If anybody could help me with her profile, then feel free. Anyways...um...please review! Or I shall trap you in a room with a moose! I shall try to update soon. Ja ne!


	11. Who Are You, Really?

Author's Note-Thankies for all the reviews so far! And I don't own Kingdom Hearts. That's all you need to know. –glanceglance-  
  
"King Mickey!" Goofy, Donald, and Sora cried.  
  
Sora glared at the figure before them, the one they had been talking to. "Let King Mickey go!"  
  
"Sorry, but I'm not the one in charge. You'll have to take it up with him." The figure said, lifting a hand to point to a figure standing on the first block of the high tower.  
  
Sora turned to the tower. "Fine. Then I will." With that, he ran for the tower. Donald and Goofy started to follow. The figure on the high tower turned to them, looked at Donald and Goofy. Then he pulled his hood back enough to reveal a glowing golden eye. Donald and Goofy stopped, suddenly rooted to their spots.  
  
Sora turned to them. "Donald! Goofy! What are you two waiting for? C'mon, let's go!"  
  
"Uh... Sorry, Sora...we'd like to, but...we're stuck..." Goofy said.  
  
"Just go on ahead! We'll be fine!" Donald commanded.  
  
Sora hesitated, then nodded and ran on ahead. The figure turned and began to walk off. "Hey!" Sora exclaimed, running after him. He chased the figure into the chapel. The large doors slammed shut behind him. It made the boy jump slightly, but he quickly turned back to his antagonist. There was a faint, soft amber glow underneath the hood.  
  
Sora started walking to the center of the chapel, where the figure stood. He stopped about five feet away from the figure. "Are you... Are you....Silence?" Sora questioned.  
  
There was a long pause, a long hesitation. Sora could feel the quiet beginning to weigh down on him. "O-oi!"  
  
Suddenly, before he had time to react, the figure suddenly shot towards him and went _through_ him. Sora's eyes widened as he stumbled back a couple of steps, then dropped to his knees and fell forward, unconscious.  
-----  
The man watched the three-piece looking glass. One piece displayed the sandy-haired dual wielder working his way up through the castle, fighting off the Heartless that attacked him the best that he could. The second piece showed the king's two toadies, the duck and the dog, now able to move again, fighting off the shadows with the God Save the Queen staff and the God Save the King shield. The third piece showed his most trusted minion, Silence, dealing with the brunette brat that had failed his plans a year before.  
  
And then there was that power surge. He had felt it come from Twilight Town. Was it possible that the one he had been searching for could have been there? No, it was impossible. Not without all the fragments. Besides, the power he had felt was of light, but not of darkness. Yes, it was too soon. "It's not him. It's...the other..." he muttered. His eyes narrowed. "Blast it all. This must be _her_ doing. They catch on quick... I must make haste with my plans."  
-----  
Taro emerged from the lift stop and looked around, only to see more monsters. He groaned, then blinked. Two figures, a humanoid duck and a dog- the very same he had seen at Sora's side, in fact-were fighting off the monsters. A mouse stood in a cage in the center of the area, watching. Three black-cloaked figures stood on the platform above while one stood off to the side, watching the battle. Taro felt the aura of familiarity radiating off the figure. Wait. Maybe he was controlling these monsters? Only one way to find out.  
  
Light swirled in Taro's palms and then formed into keyblades. Leaping into the battle, he spun and twirled his keyblades, slicing through the monsters easily. The duck, dog, and the mouse, glanced at Taro confusedly and went back to battle. The mouse, however, continued to watch Taro with an understanding. As if he knew what Taro was. It almost made the boy kind of nervous.  
  
Finally, he made it to the figure standing next to the button. The figure aimed a punch for Taro's stomach. Taro blocked the fist with the flat of his keyblade. With his other keyblade, the silver one, he swiftly moved it up and stopped it at the throat of his opponent. He looked into brown eyes that seemed oddly familiar. "...Who are you...?" he asked.  
  
"I should ask you the same thing..." said his opponent.  
  
"I am the dual wielder..." Taro responded.  
  
"I am a Nobody..." his opponent replied.  
  
There was a long silence. Then, unsatisfied with this enigmatic answer, Taro slid his obsidian keyblade out from underneath the fist and used it to move back the hood of his opponent. When he did, though, his keyblades nearly clattered to the marble in surprise. His eyes widened. "Hy- Hyo...toko...!" he stammered.  
  
The brunette frowned. "...Do I...know you...?"  
  
Taro withdrew the silver keyblade from his friend's throat. "Yeah..." he said, pulling his hood back with that hand. "Don't ya recognize me? It's me, Taro!"  
  
"Taro!" Hyotoko exclaimed. "But how? When?" He glanced over at Donald, Goofy, and Mickey, then down at Taro's keyblades. "...Why...?"  
  
"I don't know..." Taro said. He studied Hyotoko for a moment, then said, "I should be asking you the same thing, Hyotoko. What happened?" He glanced up at the figures up on the platform above in near-understanding. "And who are these people? Why are you helping them?"  
  
Hyotoko paused, for some reason almost reluctant to tell his old friend. "...They're helping me with something...well, they're helping me to help someone..." he said quietly.  
  
Taro frowned. "Someone? Is it Sakura?" Hyotoko looked away. "Hyotoko, please tell me."  
-----  
"Uh...hey... Isn't that Sora? When'd he learn how to use two keyblades?" Goofy asked.  
  
"He didn't! That kid is a blond kid!" Donald said. "Still...they do look...and even almost _sound_...alike..." he muttered.  
  
The king, however, knew what was going on as he watched, wide-eyed through the bars. "It's him... It's him, the dual wielder!" he exclaimed. Interrupting the conversation between Taro and the Nobody standing before him, he called over, "Taro!" The blond head of the boy jerked over to look at him. His two friends, Donald and Goofy, looked over at him as well in confusion. "Taro, hit the button. Hurry!"  
  
"No!" the brunette Nobody countered, drifting slightly over to the side to stand in front of the button. "Taro...please... Don't you care about what's happened to our friends? Come on..." he extended a hand. "Join us, and then we can find Kiyoshi and help Sakura."  
  
Taro glanced from Mickey and co., then back to his frowning friend. "...I'm sorry, Hyotoko. But until I get a decent explanation about what's going on," he pushed the brunette gently to the side with the flat of his black keyblade, which now shone in the dawning light, and stabbed the button. "I am on nobody's side."  
  
The brunette looked crestfallen but nodded. "...I...think I understand..."  
  
The bars of the cage slid back into the floor and the platform lowered back down. Taro watched the mouse king approach him in the now-eerie stillness. "You are Kimoto Taro, correct?" Mickey asked.  
  
"Yeah...but how do you know that...?" Taro asked, frowning.  
  
"Because...I have been searching for you, dual wielder."  
  
The grip visibly tightened on the boy's two keyblades. "I see...it seems that I've become pretty popular in the past few hours... And what do you want with me? As a matter of fact, who are you?" Taro, by now, was getting tired of this. After all of the constant fighting and surprises for the day, he was dead tired. All he wanted to do was rest; just lay down and sleep...  
  
"Well, do ya have any idea what's going on right now?"  
  
"No. Explain it to me." Taro snapped.  
  
The king seemed startled, not used to the snappish behavior. It just made Donald mad.  
  
"Now listen here, you little..." the duck started, marching towards the boy. Mickey held a hand out.  
  
"No, no, Donald...his contempt is understandable..." Mickey said. He turned to Taro with a grim expression on his face. "You know absolutely nothing about the situation at all...?"  
  
"If I knew that, then I wouldn't be asking, now would I? I do know, however, that my friends are in trouble and that I'm supposed to take care of some kid named Sora..." Taro said.  
  
"You mean protect."  
  
Taro frowned, then nodded. "Exactly..."  
  
Mickey took a deep breath. He had to explain...a lot. "My name is King Mickey, and these are my friends, Donald and Goofy. A year ago..."  
  
Author's Note-I'm really too lazy to explain what people already know, so I'll just leave it off here. Don't worry, I'll explain what's going on now in the next chapter though! Now, about Leon and Cloud being brothers, from what I heard from several friends that have played FF7, Leon and Cloud got separated and ended up finding each other around the end of the game. Also, Leon is older than Cloud by about three years. By the way, I'm still open to suggestions on what new Disney worlds to use for this ficceh. Anyways, I'll be gone over the weekend, but I'll try to write as much as I can to my rough draft and I'll try to get another chapter out before then. Please review! (Yes, the moose room is still open, lol...) Ja ne! 


	12. The ForeverLost Wishing Star

Author's Note-Here's the next chapter. About the whole FF7 thing, I did see once on the official Kingdom Hearts page that in Kingdom Hearts, Cloud was 22 and Leon was 25. But the whole brother thing in Final Fantasy doesn't really matter cause this is Kingdom Hearts, and they kinda screwed up a lot of FF things in there... But anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. And this chapter explains what's going on.  
  
Sora climbed to his feet and looked around. "Huh...? That was weird..." He looked down at himself. "What the?!" He was fourteen! He was wearing his old clothes. They weren't wet or stained or anything! What was going on?!  
  
"So, you're awake..." a voice said behind him. Sora whirled around to face this offender.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" Sora demanded.  
  
"Nothing. I see that you don't have it." The figure said a bit disappointedly.  
  
"Have what? What are you talking about?"  
  
"...It matters not...to the living dead..." the figure said. With those words, lightning began to crackle in between his palms. Sora got into defensive stance with his keyblade. This had to be some kind of upgraded thunder spell, because Sora had never seen lightning be so _controlled_ before...  
  
Suddenly the lightning shot out at Sora in a tight ball. Sora's eyes widened and he put the keyblade up in front of him to block. It nearly pushed him to his feet, but he managed to push the ball away. It flew up into the ceiling. Several chunks of the ceiling rained down. Sora shielded his head, then blinked and looked up to see that the figure was standing right in front of him now. He took a step back nervously.  
  
Suddenly, the man's hand shot forward and into the boy's chest. The boy's eyes widened; he gasped as he felt a severe coldness pierce his heart. And then he felt a part of him being drawn away. The man withdrew his hand and walked past Sora. Sora turned to watch him for a few moments, then dropped to his knees, his keyblade just about the only thing supporting him. "Wha...what did you...do to me...?" the brunette gasped.  
  
The figure didn't turn to him, yet held up a crystal between his fingers. "I took this from your heart. It should hardly matter whether you find Taro or not anymore..."  
  
"Taro...who's that...?"  
  
Pause. Then, "...He looks just like you..."  
  
With that, the figure walked to and _through_ the chapel doors. Sora, however, collapsed.

-----

"...I see... So...what has this got to do with me...?" Taro asked as Mickey finished recapping to the boy what had happened a year ago. Donald and Goofy would throw in their own inserts every now and then, but now that their king was getting to the part that they themselves didn't know about, they had fallen silent. "And what has this got to do with Hyotoko?" Taro added. He turned to glance at his friend, only to see that the younger boy had disappeared. "What...?"  
  
"Taro." King Mickey said, having to grab the boy's attention yet again. Taro turned to him. "This is what's happening now. There was once a kingdom of light. A kingdom that was called 'Kingdom Gaia' or 'Kingdom of the Flames.'  
  
"However, much like Ansem, the ruler of that kingdom fell into darkness, and soon after, the kingdom did as well. The queen fled, however..."

-----

"Let's rest up here." Yukiro said, walking into a random door. "I don't think the Heartless will follow us in here."  
  
Riku followed the being of light inside and felt the rain stop streaming down. "What? Too weak?" he mocked. His nose twitched and it picked up the scent of mistletoe and water incense, the types that Mrs. Insei would burn. Were they in Sakura's and Kiyoshi's house? To confirm his beliefs, he went into the living room and sat down where the couch was. Yep. It was their house all right.  
  
"No. But I bet you are." Yukiro shot back.  
  
Riku twitched. "Tch. That's what you think. But I spent a year in hell. I'm fine."  
  
"Yeah? Well I spent five _hundred_ years in hell. So naturally, I'm fine too." Yukiro snapped. Riku frowned in confusion, making the blindfold wrinkle slightly. Five hundred years? Yeah right. Impossible...  
  
He heard Yukiro sit in the recliner close by. Then a sigh. "...So...what kingdom did you get trapped in...?" Yukiro asked. This he asked as casually as 'So, you think it's gonna rain tomorrow?' Riku's eyebrows raised in surprise.  
  
"How did you..."  
  
"Know? Come now, it's not very hard to guess. Your skin is almost unbelievably pale from the lack of light of any kind touching it for an entire year. Your eyes are too sensitive to light of any kind to be exposed to it. And third, it was predicted that the first keyblade wielder would be lost in darkness, and that wielder is you."  
  
Riku 'stared' at him for a moment, then turned his head away. "...Keh...right..." He frowned. "Now, do you mind telling me what's going on? Silence would only give me orders, but nobody bothered explaining things to me..."  
  
Riku noticed the boy before him twitch slightly, then sigh. "...You mean you don't know...?"  
  
Riku shook his head. "...No..."  
  
"...Alright then. There are three kingdoms. Kingdom Hearts, where you've been to, and Kingdom Gaia, or Kingdom Oblivion, where I come from."  
  
"And the third kingdom?" Riku interrupted.  
  
"...I don't even know about that kingdom anymore...anyways..." Yukiro said. "There was a kingdom named Kingdom Gaia, or Kingdom of the Flames. However, the king turned to darkness, and the entire kingdom fell to it. The people tried to flee, they tried to escape...but they were fed to the darkness, they all became Heartless. One woman managed to escape. She was the queen of the kingdom, fleeing her husband's insanity.  
  
"But the king disappeared, and the king's son, who idolized his father, took over. The darkness began to spread over other lands, making it dark and cold. He even stole the heart of Princess Seika Shukusei, the princess of the third kingdom. I managed to save Princess Seika, but we both decided that the prince's reign had to end. My mother, Ceridwen, was...and still is...a sorceress. The prince escaped the castle gates before we had the chance to close them though. I could have killed him...I could've, but Ceridwen...she stopped me. She shattered his heart into six fragments and encased his body within a crystal. She cast it into space where it now floats in the abyss of space as the forever-lost Wishing Star.  
  
"But sealing him wasn't enough; darkness was leaking out of the gates and spreading to other worlds. The gates had to be shut as well. So while Princess Seika and I sealed the gates from the inside, Ceridwen did on the outside. Princess Seika was killed by a Heartless soon after."  
  
Riku was silent for a moment in thought. "So...the Nobody want all of the heart fragments to..."  
  
"To piece together the prince's heart and reawaken him. That child of darkness is the only one who can find and open the door again." Yukiro finished.  
  
"But why? I don't understand... Why wouldn't Ceridwen let you end this mess and just kill the prince?" Riku asked, frowning.  
  
It was Yukiro's turn to be silent. After letting it stretch on for a few moments, he quietly replied, "...I guess it would be hard for a mother...to watch one of her sons be killed and then have to seal his twin brother in eternal darkness only minutes after..."  
------  
"Six people, six hearts. Those are the holders of the fragments. Sora is one of the six. "King Mickey said.  
  
"What?" Taro asked. "He holds a fragment?"  
  
"Yes. Which is why he needs protection."  
  
Taro sighed. "Great..."  
  
"And there's one more thing..." Mickey started. Taro turned to him.  
  
"...What?"  
  
"Several more worlds are in danger. You and Sora must seal the keyholes of those worlds before the Heartless get inside."  
  
Taro sighed again. "...Well, where is the kid?"  
  
Mickey looked around. "...Garwsh, didn't Sora go into the chapel?" Goofy wondered.  
------  
A brunette boy weakly picked himself up off the stone floor without a name and without a purpose. No, wait. A purpose? A purpose was to leave, to get out of here. He staggered a few steps. He felt so weak, so drained, what was wrong with him?  
  
Who was he?  
  
Where was he?  
  
He staggered to the doorway and onto some walkway. One hand balanced him against the wall as he leaned against it, using it for support. The other one clutched at his heart. He finally came to a large pair of doors and pushed them open, nearly falling into them. There was a loud creak as the doors opened slightly-enough for the boy to stumble in through. He walked dizzily though the ornate hall. His breathing was shallow.  
  
He tried to make his way up the steps, but it was like climbing a mountain. He looked up and saw some kind of keyhole swirling with colors. Somehow he was drawn to it. A few steps forward and onto the platform...  
  
And he fell through it and onto a dark, wet street.  
  
Author's Note-I'm still up to suggestions for Disney worlds! And there will be a bit of character torture coming up...maybe. Now, this is gonna be the last chapter that I post over the weekend cause I won't be here. But I'll try to write as much as I can to the rough draft. Please review! Ja ne! 


	13. Sickness

Author's Note-Hah! I finally posted! Though I have to write a lot...lot more...now... -sweatdrops- I am trying my best! I don't own Kingdom Hearts by the way, so don't sue me! -hides-  
  
Mickey, Taro, and co. raced to the chapel. Goofy, with his big, bounding steps, made it to the doors first. "The doors' locked!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Locked?!" Donald demanded.  
  
"C'mon, there's gotta be a way i-" Taro pushed on the doors, then fell _through_ the doors. Solid doors. "-In..." he finished softly. He looked around. "Hello?" he called. "Is anybody there?" He ran out into the middle of the circular room and looked around. Looking back at the doors, he could tell they were still shut. And locked.  
  
"Hm..." he said, walking out the door that was off to the side of the room and to the lift stop. When he got to the large set of doors, hesitantly, he pushed them open. A creak echoed throughout the room.  
  
Taro ran out into the room when he was suddenly surrounded by monsters. Heartless, he now knew they were. Forming his keyblades in each hand, he sliced through the Heartless, working his way up the stairs as he went. When he reached the top and finished off the Heartless, he looked up at the large mass of swirling colors before him. "A keyhole...?" He jumped up and in through the keyhole.  
  
He landed in wet streets. Very _familiar_ wet streets. After taking a look around, he exclaimed, "Hey! Hey, I'm back home!" He spotted a dark lump lying in a puddle in the streets. "...What's that...?"  
  
Cautiously he approached the lump. Two golden, glowing eyes suddenly raised up beside it. A shadow Heartless. Taro slashed through it with ease, thankful that it was only one. He was getting pretty tired of fighting with Heartless constantly. Then he looked down at the lump he had just saved.  
  
It was a kid! A boy not much younger than himself, from what he could tell. This boy seemed to be unconscious. Taro reached out to the boy and touched his forehead. Taro's eyes widened slightly. The kid was burning up, running a fever. He had to get him to a doctor.  
  
Taro looked up and around, seeing several glowing eyes surrounding them, watching them from the shadows. Glaring at them, he scooped up the boy and ran down to the street, thankful that it was no longer raining. Sunlight was in fact beginning to peek its way demurely through the clouds, casting a dim dawning light over the silent town. Taro ran for about twenty minutes until he finally came to his home.  
  
It was strange, seeing it so deserted. Even though it was dawn, usually his dad would be training in the little gym they had upstairs, his sister would be snoring in the room a little ways down the hall from his. He would be sleeping in his room and his mom would be sleeping in his parents room down the hall. And Riku...Riku probably be roaming about the house, training by himself on the roof or sparring with his dad in the exercise room, sword against sword.  
  
It hurt him to see the house abandoned. All memories of family were unearthed from his mind. Family that was now gone.  
  
He shook his head as his throat tightened slightly. No. He would not cry. 'But I will have revenge for the death of my family. I swear it.' He thought.  
  
He slowly carried the boy into the house and in the living room, then set him down on the couch, then shut the front door and locked it. He wasn't sure how well this would keep out the Heartless, but it was the best he could do and would at least by him some time until... Until what? Help came? He was sure that these Heartless monsters hadn't left anyone alive. Or maybe they had just killed everyone close to him because he was the dual wielder. He shook his head and growled. He hated this. Why was this all happening to him?! Why him, of all people?! He was only...  
  
"Sixteen years old. Oh yeah. It's my birthday..." he muttered to himself. Strangely enough, with everything that had been happening lately, he had forgotten. He scowled. Just another thing to damper his day. He then sighed in defeat and shook his head. 'Oh well...'  
  
"Whatever happens, happens." He muttered, walking back into the living room. He snapped on the light and walked over to the boy. "Now who...is this kid...?" When he studied the boy for a moment, he gasped.  
  
_He looks just like you._  
  
The boy _did_ look just like him, only brunette and slightly younger. This _had _to be...  
  
"Sora..." Taro whispered. He then shook his head and went to the kitchen. He threw his coat untidily over one of the chairs at the table and walked over to the medicine cabinet. Opening it, his eyes scanned over the various bottles and boxes inside, his eyes finally resting on a glass bottle. "Ah. There." He said, taking a bottle out. He checked the label and got out a spoon. "Dad said this cures from bruises to the flu. It had better work on fevers. And I mean just any random fevers, because I haven't a clue what this kid's got."  
  
He walked back over to Sora and opened the bottle. Reading the label again, he gave the medicine to Sora. Then, not being able to think of much else to do, he grabbed a book from the bookshelf and began to read it. His father had made him read it before, though he never really concentrated on the book and paid attention. Now, though, might would do him a little good...  
  
It was 'The Book of Five Rings' by Musashi, a swordsman, like his father. A quite popular book that stressed strategy. Popular, despite the fact that it was over hundreds of years old. Unfortunately, he was still hardly able to focus on it.  
  
Everything that had happened as of late...it was mind-blowing. The Heartless, princes, kings, keyblades... It was all just too much. And he had to go to other worlds, but how was he supposed to do that when he didn't even have a spaceship? And Riku. What was the deal with Riku? And Hyotoko? And Sakura? And Kiyoshi? Would he ever see him again? Was he safe, or even alive for that matter?  
  
And then there was Sora. Taro peered over at the sick boy from over his book. Who was this kid? As soon as he had laid eyes on the kid, he felt some kind of older brotherly instinct towards him...why? Could they possibly be related? And why did Sora look 'just like him?'  
  
"My brain hurts." Taro groaned as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.  
  
Outside, a red-haired unknown watched the blond boy nod off to sleep through the window.

-----

Kairi ignored the sounds of music and chatter behind her as she stood out in the middle of the street and stared out at the island they hung out on, the sunset backdrop giving it a magical glow. Her crimson hair, which she had grown out, fell softly over and around her shoulders.  
  
Tifa came up behind her, an almost-mischievous grin on her face. "Ya ready?" she asked.  
  
Was she ready? A mix of jumbled emotions arose for Kairi with this question, but she nodded anyway. "Let's go."  
  
Tifa nodded and hopped onto her scooter, Kairi following in suit. They rode down the hill together and got to the docks. Past the fishing boats they went until they got to their tiny rowboats. When they arrived there, they folded up their scooters and threw them into their respective rowboats, and then jumped in themselves.  
  
"Sora. I'm coming." Kairi said. They rowed out to where Tifa was sure the shooting star had hit and looked around. "Sora? Sora?" Kairi called, looking around.  
  
"Over there!" Tifa yelled, pointing to a black and bobbing object.  
  
"Yeah, but...neither Sora no Riku have black hair..." Kairi muttered as she rowed over to the object. She gasped when she saw that the black object was really the hair of an unconscious floating boy. "It's a boy! It's a boy!" she shouted. Tifa rowed over as well and helped Kairi get the boy into the redhead's boat.  
  
"This looks like all that we're going to find. Let's get over to the island. Quick!" Tifa exclaimed.  
  
"But..." Kairi looked over at the water, then back at the boy, then sighed and followed Tifa to the island they hung out on. As the boats nudged the wet sand of the shoreline, they dragged the boy out and onto dry sand. They had to go up to the platform, because the tide was already beginning to quickly rise.  
  
Kairi and Tifa looked down at the boy. The boy was wearing a life vest, but...  
  
"He's bleeding." Tifa said, observing the cuts on the boy's arms, "And he's not breathing. Crap. That means that I'll have to do CPR. Alright. I'll do that-you go get a blanket from the tree house. Hurry!"  
  
Kairi nodded as she ran to the tree house. _Who is this kid?_ she mentally demanded. By the time she got back to the boy and Tifa with the blanket, the boy was already coughing and choking up water.  
  
She studied him for a few moments as Tifa threw the blanket over him. The boy's hair was black and shoulder-length, and he looked about a few years younger than them. Sky-blue eyes opened slowly. He looked over at Kairi. "Sakura?!" He frowned. "No...you're...someone else..."  
  
"Calm down, kid! That's Kairi. I'm Tifa. What's your name?" Tifa asked.  
  
The boy coughed again. "Kiyoshi." With that, his eyes closed and he passed back into blissful unconsciousness. 

-----

_ A red-haired man sighed and leaned against the wood of his cabin. His head tilted upwards and his eyes closed. Too long. This was taking too long. Six years of training and he still wasn't strong enough to defeat _him.  
  
_Footsteps were heard in front of him and stopped. "And what is it that you want?" the man asked. "Have you come to challenge me, is that it?"  
  
"You are...Tranquility...are you not?"  
  
"That all depends on who's asking." The man-apparently named Tranquility replied, cracking open an emerald eye, then sitting forward and opening both eyes to watch the black-clad figure curiously.  
  
"You... You will be needed...soon..."  
  
Tranquility raised an eyebrow. "Needed? For what?"  
  
"The darkness between worlds is spreading...the war of darkness versus light is soon to be upon you. Strong fighters such as yourself will be needed. What side..." The figure said, looking around and then back at the man himself. "Will you choose?"  
  
"Neither."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Tranquility stood up and threw out an arm to state the visual of his point. To show the forest around his home. "I am a hermit-I chose to be a long time ago. I will not be troubled by such things as war, darkness, and light. I have found a balance between the two, and recommend that you should do the same. I have...my own battles to fight." He said.  
  
There was a long silence. Then, finally, "...Have it your way..."  
  
With those words, the sky began to darken. An ominous wind whistled through the trees, swaying the crimson strands of Tranquility's hair. Tranquility's eyes narrowed. "So you will force me to join your side, huh?" His hands grabbed two large, spiked, white wheels and he got into fighting stance. "Should that be so, then most definitely will I be on the side of light!"  
  
"..." The figure didn't respond. Tranquility watched as shadows pulled up out of the ground around him, and his eyes widened slightly.  
  
"Sorcery... You're a demon, aren't you?"  
  
_Blackout.  
  
_ A man dressed in black bagging pants and a kimono top with shoulder- length hair and silver eyes with black marking under his eyes walked over to the bleeding man a few hours later. His rival, Tranquility, lay on the ground, bleeding from a thousand wounds and gasping for breath from shredded lungs. The man smirked and shook his head, then took the long, slender golden sword that was attached to his back and pointed the tip at Tranquility's heart.  
  
"Chaos..."  
  
The man looked up and turned to see a figure dressed in a black, hooded coat. He smirked. "You rang?"  
  
"Your rival...he is nearly dead, and hardly by your hand."  
  
Chaos's eyes narrowed. "...Your point?"  
  
"Why not absorb him and gain more power and then join us? The darkness will give you anything you desire, so it should be worth your while." The figure said. "We are not looking for people full of sentimental rubbish. And we are not seeking out the unwilling. We are looking for cold- blooded killers that are submerged in blood and in darkness such as yourself. Are you...up for it?"  
  
Chaos looked down at the dying Tranquility. _If I agreed...then my power would double almost. And then I could wreak havoc wherever I please... _He thought. He grinned. "Yes."  
  
He didn't see the wave of darkness that hit him until it was upon him_. 

-----

The redhead rubbed his forehead. Another random image. It seemed so familiar, yet he couldn't remember it happening to him before. Was he going insane? How could one tell?  
  
_You're already a madman._  
  
The redhead flinched. And what was this voice? This voice that always tried to stop him whenever he wanted to or had to cause harm. Whenever he wanted to kill.  
  
_Stop this._  
  
_You can't stop it. You can only help it to succeed._ The redhead thought, glancing back at the door as he locked it. Now all he had to do was wait.  
  
Tch. Voices are only voices. Only actions could hurt him, and he was sure that that would never happen...  
  
Author's Note-Anybody wanna take a guess at who the redhead dude is now? –grin- Anyways, I thought it would good to leave you guys hanging. And also, please review! And I'll try to write more and post it as fast as I can, honest! Ja ne! 


	14. Your Dreams Are Your Darkness

Author's Note-Hah! I posted! –sweatdrops- And now I've got a lot more to write again... Oh well. About Axel, I started writing this back when he was still known as 'red-haired unknown.' Oh, and sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Our internet has been crap lately... Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Amber eyes opened slowly. Taro looked around, rotating his head in the process to get the ache out of his neck. Glancing out the window, he could tell that it was already sunset. He sweatdropped. "I've been asleep for that long...?" he muttered. "Oh well..." As he turned to the couch, he said, "Well, Sora, feeling any bet-"  
  
He stopped dead to see the couch empty. "Sora?!" he called. "Sora? Dammit! Oi, kid, if this is some kind of practical joke, I am _not_ amused!" he ran into the foyer, only to see that the front door was wide open. "Shit." He cursed, running out.  
  
The first step he took outside, at least ten shadow Heartless pulled themselves out of the ground. "Dammit!" Taro growled, forming his keyblades in his hands. Whirling around, he sliced through the shadows to see a slender silver Heartless standing before him. There was a few moments of stillness, silence. Suddenly it took off down the street.  
  
"O-oi!" Taro yelled. _Maybe it wants me to follow it...? Maybe it can lead me to Sora! I have to follow it!_ He thought, chasing after the silver streak.  
  
Down familiar streets he ran, ignoring the eerie silence of the town, the sinking feeling that everybody he ever knew and loved was gone. He came to a halt as the Heartless disappeared into a building wall. "...Gone. Dammit!" He sighed and looked around, then wandered down the street until he came to an empty courtyard. Empty, that is, save a lone red-haired man.  
  
Wait. Red hair? A black coat like his?  
  
_He had red hair and wore a black coat just like yours!_  
  
Of course. This man fit the description Kiyoshi had given him perfectly. He was the one who had taken Hyotoko and Sakura, who had kidnapped them. And probably also the one that had kidnapped Sora. That opened up some questions.  
  
"So you've arrived. It's about time." The man said. Taro nodded once, then quietly and grimly walked over only to stop a few feet away from him.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"...Chaos..."  
  
"...Where's Sora?" Taro asked.  
  
"You can't see Sora." Chaos replied calmly.  
  
Taro sucked in a deep breath to contain his annoyance and his anger. So this man _did_ have Sora. Now for his other question.  
  
He glared. "And my friends?"  
  
"Your friend Hyotoko is willingly in our care. He is now what you are rumored to be. The brat Kiyoshi appears to have slipped from our grasp as has your friend Riku."  
  
Taro felt a bit relieved at this, but there was something missing. Something not mentioned, something not asked.  
  
"...What about Sakura?"  
  
"Ah, the girl..." Chaos said. "There are no worries. She will be needed later on, we believe. So naturally, we are taking very good care of her."  
  
"You will not lay a hand on her." Taro said, eyes narrowing. "Leave my cousins and my friends alone!" he shouted, his keyblades appearing in his hands.  
  
"You choose to fight me? What the hell will that accomplish?" Chaos demanded, throwing back his hands. There was a gust of wind that was so strong, it made Taro stumble forward a step. "You may be needed as well, so why don't you come along quietly?"  
  
"I will never go and help you!" Taro shot back defiantly.  
  
"Very well. Then, I have no choice." The Chaos said, energy swirling around im. Energy like...embers? "Suffer the consequences!" he yelled, lowering his head. A ring of fire suddenly shot up around the two and he raised his arms. Taro noticed that as he did this, the flames became even higher. A trick?  
  
_No. No, this guy is the real thing. But how does he fight? Surely if he was going to kill me, he could have easily burned me to a crisp just now. What's his game?_ Taro wondered.  
  
Chaos's arms suddenly dropped to be holding his hands out to his sides. In his hands appeared two red and white spiked wheels. Then he looked up.  
  
Just the look was enough to worry Taro. The expression on the man's face was no longer a serious look. It now held a grin, a homicidal smile. But those eyes...once concerned and in pain, now they were evil and chaotic, but something in them screamed with unwillingness.  
  
"Get ready." Chaos said. Taro only had the time to take a step back before the redhead charged at him.

-----

_ The boy with white hair smiled through his feverish pain. 'I can feel it...I can feel pain again...' he thought. It hurt. He felt like he was in an inferno, despite the fact that he was shivering as if he was sitting outside in the snow on a winter's evening. He ached all over, in all of his joints. If he moved his head, it felt as if it would split in two. Even his eyes stung.  
  
But he still smiled. He welcomed it. He welcomed the pain. Pain meant life. And if he were truly alive again, that meant that he had finally found it. The door to the light.  
  
But then, what did he know? It felt real, but it may have been a mere illusion. A mere memory conjured for the desperate boy, not for the first time. He had found memories that he didn't even remember. Memories that might not even had been his. Through these, he was able to live. He could live through his memories. Through the memories of others.  
  
Memories of light.  
  
He lived through these memories, maybe. Maybe. Was he alive? Was he dead? He came to the point of where he just didn't care anymore.  
  
He was alive. But what about his sanity? 'Have I gone insane? How can I tell...?' the boy wondered as he drifted through the abyss. But now he was no longer drifting. Now he was...somewhere...  
  
Where was he?  
  
Was this even...real?  
  
But there was no light here. No, wait. He just wasn't opening his eyes. Because it hurt. Oh yeah. Yeah, that was right. That was it.  
  
Instead he saw darkness, but with beings of light occasionally walking by. He amused himself by watching them, judging their volume of light. 'Their souls?' he wondered. 'Am I seeing the good and bad of their hearts?'  
  
He didn't know how long he had been in that dark void. He didn't know how long he lay where he lay now, until finally, something came. And what he 'saw' was a being of shadows, only shadows. Inside were two tiny flickers of light, one trembling violently, as if trying to break free or something.  
  
He felt something fall on him. Something light, something barely heavy at all. Fabric? Something touched his forehead and through his weakness he felt a strength flow into him. Huh?  
  
He held up a hand in front of him. Its light, which already wasn't very bright, seemed to have darkness seeping into it, making it darker than it already was.  
  
"Stop it!" he cried, lashing out with all his strength. "Get away!"  
  
The hand jerked away. He could sense the man smirk. "...You will be needed soon, Riku. You may as well face this truth: You cannot run from us and you cannot run from him."  
  
'...Who...?' Riku mentally demanded as he heard the person walk off. 'Who is he talking about? Who is 'him?''  
  
As he wondered this, he felt a chill go up his spine. Could it be...? He frowned. Could it be who? He felt like there was someone that he should have remembered. Someone that he should have been afraid of. But who...?  
  
He frowned, his confusion turning into concentration; the most he could remember was shadow, a silhouette of a person. A person with long hair and a coat. Who was he? Was this who he was supposed to be afraid of?  
  
Red eyes suddenly burned into him from the silhouette. He screamed..._

__

_ -----  
_  
"Kid! ...Human! Hey, kid!" Yukiro exclaimed, grabbing Riku's shoulders and giving them a firm shake. Riku didn't wake, but clutched at his heart as if he were having a heart attack. Yukiro frowned. He didn't know what to do. Five hundred years of solitude had diminished all of his people skills whatsoever.  
  
His eyes suddenly widened to see darkness circulating into Riku's aura, the light surrounding him. Carefully he pried the hand away from the heart. He frowned, concerned, to see the light of the boy's heart pulsing with lines of darkness. And also there was...  
  
...A hole? Yes! A tiny hole was right there in his heart! And...a piece that looked like it didn't belong...  
  
_This is Riku, one of the holders._  
  
_She was right! He is one of them. He's a fragment holder! ...But his fragment...it's broken. Its been broken into thirds... Where did the other two pieces go?_ Yukiro mentally demanded.  
  
He shook his head. _Now's not the time to worry about that. This boy's been exposed to far too much darkness. If I don't do something soon then something horrible is going to happen._  
  
With that thought in mind, he touched his own heart and slowly withdrew his hand, a ball of light resting gently at his fingertips. Then, he touched Riku and the light disappeared. A couple of moments later, Riku's aura got slightly brighter, but only slightly. It was enough.  
  
However, as the blindfold twitched and Riku awoke, Yukiro watched on in grim silence. _This kid...who is he? What is he? And what exactly happened to him? His aura is outlined in black. Could it be that...he's one of them?_ Yukiro's eyes widened momentarily, but then he glared darkly. _He can't be. But just in case, I think I'd better find out a little more about this Riku kid..._  
  
To Riku he said, "You fell asleep."  
  
"...I see..." Riku said. "Now, what just happened?  
  
"Apparently your dreams are dragging you into darkness. It won't be long before the Heartless themselves begin attacking you in your sleep." Yukiro walked into the other room (since he had explored the house while Riku was sleeping) and came back with a small pouch. He tossed it to Riku.  
  
Riku nearly dropped it, but caught it just in time. "What's this?"  
  
"Goldenwood. Burn it while sleeping. That should get rid of any dreams. But it's only a temporary cure. We will have to find another alternative soon." Yukiro explained.  
  
Riku nodded. "Okay." Then he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, muttering, "Man, I just can't get a break..."  
  
"Now, it's time to go."  
  
"Go?"  
  
"Yes..." Yukiro paused, then said, "One of the Dark Ones are here, no doubt looking for us."  
  
"Dark Ones?"  
  
"Who you might call the 'Nobody.'"  
  
Riku stiffened slightly at the name, then nodded. "Okay, then. Let's go."  
  
And with that they set out.  
  
Author's Note- Meh...running out of things to say down here. Um...I'll try to write more soon. I can't really post every day though now since my final draft has caught up with my rough draft, but I'm trying. I'll at least have one chapter a week up if not more. So just sit back and review, and I'll get to writing more. Ja ne!


	15. Demons and Voices from the Past

Author's Note-I am sooo sorry that I haven't posted in awhile! But I've made this chapter extra long to make up for it, so please just read and review and please don't kill me!  
  
P.S.-I do not own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
_ "Kairi, remember! Remember what I said! Whatever happens, I'll always be with you!"  
  
"I told you before, I don't remember."  
  
"Every heart returns to darkness!"  
  
"I fell into darkness...and couldn't find the light."  
  
"And there is darkness...within every heart..."  
  
"Open the door! Lead me into everlasting darkness!"  
  
"I have nothing to fear. I control the Heartless now."  
  
"You're stupid!"  
  
"Seeker of darkness."  
  
"A princess?"  
  
"You can take her to Neverland some time."  
  
"One who knows nothing can understand nothing..."  
  
"This ship runs on happy faces!"  
  
"That's one funny face!"  
  
"For now..."  
  
"No heart, no see friends."  
  
"You've just got to believe."  
  
"True darkness!"  
  
"The keyblade chooses its master, and it chose you."  
  
"Tough luck."  
  
"I never asked for this."  
  
"So, we just have easily ended up somewhere else."  
  
"Riku!"  
  
"Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."  
  
"Sora!"  
  
"The princess's heart is responding...Kairi's heart rests within you!"  
  
"Don't worry, Sora... This time, I'll protect you..."  
  
"An island surrounded by water... To a heart seeking freedom, it is but a prison. So he chose to open his heart to darkness..."  
  
"Riku!"  
  
"Take care of her..."  
_  
Voices. What...where...  
  
The boy sat up and looked around. He ran a hand through unruly, spiky brown hair and looked around. It was dark. It was dark everywhere.  
  
But what puzzled him was...those voices... Who did they belong to? Everything...it all sounded familiar...but he couldn't remember a thing.  
  
Sora. Was his name...Sora?  
  
He wasn't sure, but he was sure about one thing. He stood up and walked to a thin line of light that was in the doorway as something appeared in his hand. Some kind of...weapon?  
  
He closed his eyes, then opened them again. Yes, he was sure about one thing as he lifted the object over his head.  
  
He wasn't going to stay in this darkness.  
  
He wanted out of here.

-----

Taro jumped out of the way of the spiked wheels, just barely dodging. These weapons...what were they called again? Wind and fire wheels. Oh yeah.  
  
_This guy's fast. Faster than I made him out to be._ Taro thought. His eyes widened as one of the blades slashed the front of his shirt open. _I can't keep this up. I'm going to have to go on the offensive. But where? Where is his weak spot?  
_  
He jumped out of the way of another blade and looked down. _There!_ He jumped back one more time and landed in a crouch. _This should be enough to stop him in his tracks!_ He thought as he used his keyblade to slash across his opponent's shins. At the same time, Chaos slashed him across the back. Taro's eyes widened as the blade, expecting pain as he dropped to his knees. True, it did hurt, but only faintly, like with the cut on his forehead. What...?  
  
As for Chaos's wound...  
  
Chaos did grimace. And he did stop.  
  
But he didn't drop to the ground like Taro expected.  
  
Taro straightened. Chaos smirked. "Foolish boy. You cannot win. It was a good effort though. Now..." he said, advancing on the boy. "Come with me..."  
  
Taro climbed to his feet and backed away. "No! Never!" he shot back. _The hell?! That cut should've taken anyone or anything down! This guy ain't human! _Taro thought. He stopped, eyes wide, and turned to see the flames blazing behind his back. "Oh no..."  
  
"Well, it looks like you're trapped. You have two options: surrender or be burned to ashes in the flames. Take your pick."  
  
Taro glanced back at the flames again. "How annoying..." he grumbled. Then he smirked weakly and thought, _Oh well. The hell with it. Fry now, fray later. Guess I'll choose now so that I can't help them._ To Chaos, he said, "Well, if I really must choose, I think I'll choose the fire!"  
  
With that, he leapt back into the flames.  
  
"No, you fool! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Chaos yelled, a hand extending to reach for the boy.  
  
Taro flinched but...what? He only felt a slight warmth of what surely was intense flames. An illusion? No. If it was then Chaos wouldn't of freaked.  
  
_Then it is real. But I can barely feel it. Nor can I feel the wound on my back. Okay now, something is seriously wrong._ Taro thought, growing concerned as he looked around. But what was more, the fire wasn't even calling any damage to him. He was grateful for that, but still...  
  
He shook his head. _Can't worry about that right now. I should go and get Sora while I still have the chance._ With that, he sped through the flames to the door. He stopped to see a dark figure rushing at him. He only had time to get his keyblades to appear and put them up to block the spiked wheels. Chaos stood before him, strangely unaffected by the flames as well.  
  
"What are you?!" Taro demanded.  
  
"I was about to ask you the same thing, kid." Chaos replied.  
  
"..." Taro jumped back as his keyblades disappeared, then turned and did a handspring that carried him into the circle, into the area that was bare of flames. As he landed, one of the wheels followed him and out of the flames and hit his legs, knocking his feet out from under him.  
  
Chaos leapt over him and caught the wheel in midair, then landed gracefully before him. Grinning, he lifted up one of the wheels, ready to bring it down upon the boy. Taro lowered his head in defeat; he knew he had been beat. Chaos brought the wheel down...  
  
_Enough!_  
  
The blade stopped only a millimeter from the boy's head.  
  
Taro noticed the wheel being lifted again, then tossed away as the other one clattered to the concrete. He backed up a bit, then stood up slowly as Chaos dropped to his knees, his hands clutching both sides of his head, which was lowered. His eyes were shut tightly. He looked like he was fighting a battle with himself-and losing.  
  
"Um..." Taro started, but he was cut off by the red-haired warrior.  
  
"No...no! Get out, get out, GET OUT!" Chaos screamed. The scream echoed throughout the empty city. Taro could only but watch, wondering what on earth was going on. The flames died down, hyper-speed.  
  
Then Chaos, still tensed, opened his eyes. He grimaced, then smiled. A sad, thankful, tired, relieved smile. And then he spoke two words that Taro had least expected the redhead to say...  
  
"Kill me."  
  
Taro's eyes widened. What was this change in the man? A trap?  
  
"A demon." Chaos said, as if reading his thoughts. "A demon possesses me. My name is-was-Minamoto Tranquility...I think...yes, yes it was. I have...helped to take the hearts of thousands of innocent people...against my own will... Your parents...your sister...strangers... And the girl...Sa-Sakura, I think...is soon to be among them, I think..."  
  
Taro's look grew more surprised, but then frowned in utter seriousness as his keyblades reappeared in his hands. "Where is she? Who is behind all of this?!"  
  
"I...I know not where she is... Please, hurry... Just kill me now... Quickly...!" Chaos begged. "I cannot...hold off this demon much longer...!"  
  
Taro frowned and nodded, raising his keyblades. But as he did, he froze. No...no, this was wrong! He couldn't...kill a person... Even if they were begging for death, he couldn't kill someone...  
  
_But...he helped destroy my family and friends! I have to kill him! But...no... Mom, Dad, what would you do?! _Taro thought. His father would kill him without a second thought. Aku Soku Zan-Slay evil immediately, that was his motto. And his mother...  
  
_But he didn't do it! Why should he be killed for another one's crimes?! It isn't fair! It isn't right!_ His conscience screamed.  
  
Chaos looked back up. "What are you waiting for?! Kill me now!"  
  
"I...I can't..."  
  
"What?! Of course you can! You're the dual wielder!" Chaos shouted, slight panic and despair apparent in his eyes now.  
  
"I am so sick of everyone thinking I can do everything just because I swing around two stinkin blades! I've had it! I don't want this! I'm Kimoto Taro of Twilight Town, age sixteen, a NORMAL highschool kid!" Taro shouted angrily.  
  
"Just hurry up and kill me before I kill you! You don't really...have a choice..."  
  
"Yeah? Then kill me. Because I'm not going to kill an actual person. I'm not going to kill you. I won't stain these hands with blood." Taro said, turning and walking to the door. Before he reached it though, an ivory blade-as opposed to his obsidian one-sliced through the door, splitting the lock as well.  
  
The doors swung open and Sora walked calmly out.  
  
There was a long silence as the two boys stared at each other, both practically twins. Finally Taro spoke up. "...Are you...Sor-"  
  
"Look out!" Sora exclaimed as he leapt in front of Taro and knocked the spiked wheel off to the side with his keyblade. Taro turned to see Chaos now standing. The homicidal look in his eyes had returned, proving that the demon had won once again.  
  
"Tranquility!" Taro cried.  
  
Chaos smirked. "Humans... They're so weak. Tranquility is gone, the fool." Chaos took a step forward. "And soon...you will be as well. I will take the both of you back to my master, Silence."  
  
"Bastard." Taro snarled. His eyes widened and he gasped as he suddenly felt a sharp, bladed point enter his back. The blade! Chaos must have anticipated Sora to knock the wheel away! The blade must have boomeranged! But more excruciatingly, he thought he could feel the tip of it pierce his heart. He felt himself falling, then someone catching him and taking out the blade, then turning him over. Through the darkening red haze he barely saw the spiky-haired boy. The boy raised some kind of large, bladed key... _Keyblade...?_  
  
"Heal!" the boy yelled. The words echoed through Taro's mind as he felt some kind of warmth surround him. Warmth that didn't...seem real. That boy...who was he? Was it...himself? No, impossible. He was here...wasn't he? Was it...Sora...? Yes, yes, that was it. That had to be it. Sora...

-----

Sora removed the bladed wheel and grimaced as the blonde boy's blood began pouring over his hands. Sora shook the blonde almost frantically, not wanting this boy to die, not wanting to be left alone in this place without a clue where he was, barely even knowing who he was. "Wake up...c'mon, please wake up..." he begged. No answer. Sora knew that the boy was dying-he could see it and _feel_ it. With the answerless reply, he stood up and raised his blade. "Heal!" he cried. He didn't know where that had come from, but he knew, somewhere deep down in his heart, that it would work.  
  
And it did.  
  
He watched as a green light shimmered round the boy and the wounds begin to heal slightly. Trying this spell a couple more times, the wounds became fully healed and he could literally see the boy being brought back to life. But he wasn't waking up...! And this red-haired man was only coming nearer and nearer...  
  
_No way I'm fighting this guy... _Sora thought, taking a step back. _At least, not alone, not now...I'm not ready yet..._ Glancing down at the blonde, he made up his mind.  
  
"...C'mon..." He said, slinging the boy over his shoulder, then turning and running as fast as he could out of the courtyard and down unfamiliar streets.  
  
"After them!" he heard the man yell behind him. Sora glanced back to see black and silver, all rising up from the ground like demons, like from some kind of nightmare or something... With that sight for motivation, he sped up.  
  
Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a hand shot out and snatched his arm, yanking him and the boy into a house. "...Are you okay...?" a young, feminine voice asked. Sora looked over to see a red-haired girl with green eyes (though some of her short hair was brushed over one eye) wearing a school uniform and at least a year or two older than him staring back at him with what looked like a look of genuine concern on her face.  
  
"...Who are you...?" Sora asked.  
  
The girl blinked, then nodded and bowed in greeting. "Oh! My name is Tam." She straightened. "Nice to meet you." she said, almost cheerfully as she stuck out a hand.  
  
Sora sweatdropped and shook her hand, then pulled the door shut behind him and locked it. "I'm Sora... Are you the only one left in this town besides us?" he asked.  
  
Tam nodded. "Those Heartless monsters came in and killed everyone; or at least made them disappear. I am the only one left."  
  
Sora nodded sympathetically but frowned. Strange. He heard no hint of sadness, no touch of remorse. _Then again, I don't feel very sad, either. Scared, yeah. Confused, yeah. Sad, no. I guess it's because I don't really know anybody here. Hey, maybe she's like me...!_ Sora thought. He set the boy down on a nearby couch and watched out the window at the wave of monsters that passed by. _What exactly is going on...?_  
  
Author's Note-Like I said before, I am so sorry I haven't posted for so long. My internet has been down for practically two weeks, and it's all thanks to that stupid Charter! ...But never to fear, because we're getting BellSouth! And soon, too. So I will be posting soon. And yes, I have written a lot, so hopefully now that won't delay my posts either. By the way, I'm debating whether or not to put a few anime characters in here or not. I might. Hm... Well, anyways, please review. Ja ne! 


	16. Let's Go Leave These Memories Behind

Author's Note-Um...First of all, the disclaimer. I own nothing! –puts up a sutra to keep the lawyers away- See? I'm just a humble fanfic writer! ...Ahem... Heh, Anyways, if anybody would like to suggest a Disney movie for the fanfic, be my guest. Oh, and by the way, to anybody that read mine and my friends' story, Tangerine, we've decided to finally finish it, so it's going to be updated now (but I will still post to this fanfic at least once a week.) So with that said, enjoy the new chappie!  
  
Taro opened his eyes slowly and looked around. Asleep on the other end of the couch he saw a red-haired girl and in the recliner he saw Sora, sleeping as well. But...they were back at his house. _How...?_ he wondered. He stood up and stretched, looking down at himself in confusion. _Boy...I thought I was a goner for sure..._ He shook his head. Looking back down at himself again, he noted with distaste the blood that covered himself and his clothes. His own blood.  
  
With that in mind, he went into the bathroom and showered. As he did, he flinched slightly. There were two rather large scars on his back. Scars he would never be rid of. When he finished showering, he went to his room and dressed, this time wearing a white shirt edged with black and blue jeans. He walked into the living room drying his hair with a towel to see Sora and the girl awake and now looking up at him expectantly.  
  
He sighed and fell back onto the couch. "...Maybe introductions should be established..." He pointed to himself. "Kimoto Taro." He looked over at the girl. "...And you are...?"  
  
"Nightfall Tam." The girl said with a smile. "One of the few survivors of Twilight Town..." she added quietly.  
  
"And I'm Sora." Sora said. He looked around at everybody. "Now...what exactly is going on...?"  
  
Taro stared at him with near disbelief. "You mean...you don't know...?!" _No. Please, no..._  
  
Sora shook his head. "If I did once, I don't now. I've lost my memory, it seems. I barely even remember my own name."  
  
_ "Say, Kairi...what's your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?"  
  
"I told you before...I don't remember..."  
  
"Nothing...at all...?"  
  
"...Nothing..."  
  
"...You ever want to go back...?"  
  
"Well...I'm happy here... But you know...I wouldn't mind going to see it."  
  
"I'd like to see it too...along with any other worlds out there. I'd like to see them all."  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?"  
  
"Hey! ...Aren't you forgetting about me...?"_  
  
The memory was distant yet clear. Sora couldn't see the faces but he could hear their voices clearly. Three voices. Three kids. And one of those voices...was his own.  
  
Taro felt his soaring hopes drop and shatter like bricks.  
  
_"Find and take Sora with you. He should remember how to deal with these things. He can help."_  
  
King Mickey. King Mickey had said that. He had full confidence that Sora could help fix things, that he knew what he had to do. _Guess again, moron mouse..._ Taro thought.  
  
He sighed and stood up, throwing his towel askew, then running a hand through his damp hair. "...I'm gonna go make some food. I'll explain while we're eating." With that said, he departed to the kitchen.  
  
_Now what?_ Taro wondered as he took out ingredients for soba. _What am I gonna do? What _can _ I do?_ He filled a pot with water and set it to a boil on the stove. _I can't even get off this planet. And I'm supposed to save other planets? Not to mention that I'm stuck with two amateur strangers now that I'll probably end up babysitting. I may as well just give myself up to the Heartless right now. This is hopeless..._  
  
He began to slice vegetables when King Mickey's voice suddenly flashed through his mind.  
  
_"Don't worry. There will always be a door to the light."  
_  
What? Where did that come from? And what was he talking about? A door to the light? A door to...hope?  
  
...Tch. Hope? What hope? In a place and a situation like this, there was no-  
  
"Ouch!" Taro started. He winced and set down the knife, then held up his other hand to study the new, bleeding cut on his finger. As most of the things in this town did, it unearthed a memory. But this one...he just couldn't seem to push back...

-----

_ "Ow! Let me go, Mom! That hurts!" the ten year-old blonde yelled as his mom practically dragged him through the streets by his hair. Several people stared, but soon shrugged it off. Everyone in this part of town knew each other and what in their parts was common, and this was most definitely common.  
  
"...No. You see? This is what happens when you run off without telling me with your friend and your cousin to the docks and start throwing fish at the sailors!" his mother ranted.  
  
"Well why aren't you dragging Kiyoshi home like this, too?"  
  
"...Because his dad is training him in how to be a stupid ninja and he got away. But your Aunt Hoshi will be receiving a call from me shortly, don't you worry." His mom pulled him inside.  
  
"Grrr... Housecat..." The boy grumbled.  
  
"Don't even start! ...You sound just like your father, the bastard..."  
  
"Don't you like dad, Mom?"  
  
"...It's a love-hate relationship."  
  
"Where's the love?"  
  
His mom shrugged. "You find it."  
  
He knew that she was going to be sarcastic for the time being. She always was when she was mad.  
  
"...I need to keep an eye on you. I don't trust you to stay here. So you're going to help me make dinner." His mom said, dragging him into the kitchen.  
  
"But mom-!"  
  
"No buts! ...Now, get started on those vegetables. I'm gonna start on the riceballs." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And don't even think that you can just sneak away on me. I'll have my eye on you, Taro."  
  
Taro nodded quickly and turned to the vegetables. On the list of the few things that could scare him, his mom was somewhere up there. "...Though, you know...we didn't throw the fish at anyone _important_..." he said.  
  
Mrs. Kimoto raised an eyebrow. "...And just who are these people that are important to you, Taro?"  
  
"Pirates!"  
  
"-.-; Pirates...?"  
  
"Yeah! They're tough and they get to travel around a lot! I want to be one someday!" Taro said enthusiastically. "Yeah. I want to travel and see other worlds... Ow!"  
  
Mrs. Kimoto walked over to him and studied his newly-cut finger and sighed. "...Taro, I don't know why your uncle is teaching you how to use kodachis when you can't even wield a kitchen knife. You're a klutz when it comes to blades." She said as she went for the band-aids. After they washed up the wound and bandaged it, his mom said, "Now...what do you wanna know about pirates?"  
  
Taro grinned. "Everything."_

-----

Taro shut his eyes tightly to try to stop the flow of lonesome tears from falling. Didn't work. A single tear ran down his cheek. _Dammit, stop crying! Its only going to make you look weak._ He thought angrily.  
  
"...Here." A feminine voice said beside him. He opened his eyes and looked over to see Tam. She handed him a paper towel. "Now. You go clean that cut and get a bandage. I'll help you with cooking if you're really that distracted." She turned to the pot of already-boiling water. "Soba, right?" Without even waiting for a reply, she dumped the noodles in.  
  
Taro sweatdropped, but then smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded, giving her a little thankful bow. "Arigato..." he said. _Never argue with a woman..._ he thought, sweatdropping again. With this thought in mind, he made his way to the sink to wash his wound.  
  
"So...who taught you how to cook?" Taro asked. "Your mom?"  
  
Tam shook her head. "Surprisingly enough, it was my dad. My father was an exceptional cook. It's a good thing, too. The only thing that my mother could make was microwave macaroni, instant ramen, and pop-tarts." She said with a sad smile. "And you?"  
  
"I got into a lot of trouble as a kid... My mom punished me a lot by making me cook dinner with her and then grounding me."  
  
"Nice."  
  
There was a long silence, save the chop, chop, chopping sound of Tam slicing the vegetables and the running water of the sink. Finally, Tam broke the silence by asking, "So what are we going to do? The Heartless have already swarmed the place; we can't hide here that much longer."  
  
Taro blinked and glanced over at her as he turned off the sink and went to the medicine cabinet to get a band-aid. "You're staying with us...?"  
  
"I don't really have much of a choice, do I? I'm no better off than you are; if I stay here on my own then I'll die."  
  
"...Good point. Welcome aboard, then. Our mission is to go to numerous worlds and sealing the keyholes and saving my friends. Yeah. That's my plan. I think." Taro said with a nod, then a frown. "The problem is," he continued as he set some bowls and chopsticks down on the table, "that I don't have a clue how on how to go about that. We can't go to other worlds; I don't know how to without a ship."  
  
"Well... How about using a gummi ship? Have you tried that yet?"  
  
"...Gummi...what?" Taro asked, sweatdropping.  
  
Tam sweatdropped as well. "...You mean you don't know? You really don't have a clue, do you?"  
  
"...Don't rub it in..." Taro grumbled. He blinked. "Gummi...you mean candy, right? I don't see how a bunch of candy or a ship made out of candy is going to get us into and through outer space."  
  
Tam sighed as she dumped the sliced vegetables in the pot. "...Definitely clueless. Where have you been? Gummi ships are the way to go these days."  
  
"Well apparently I'm not with the times. So, fill me in." Taro said.  
  
"Gummi is a material from asteroids and outer space that they use to build space ships with. And," Tam added with a grin, "I just happen to know a place that does just that."  
  
That made Taro perk up immediately. It was some of the first good news that he had heard in what had seemed like years. "Really?"  
  
Tam smiled and nodded. "Really. Yeah. We can go there soon, if you'd like."  
  
Taro nodded. "I would, I would!" he replied excitedly.  
  
"Okiedokie!" Tam said, turning off the stove and picking up the pot.  
  
"No, wait, Tam!" Taro exclaimed. Tam blinked and set down the pot.  
  
"...What?"  
  
Taro frowned. "Is the soba even hot? I mean...you picked up that pot bare-handed. It would've burned you. It's a _metal_ pot."  
  
Tam went almost dead white for a second, then blinked, then frowned. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, running over to the sink.  
  
Taro sweatdropped. _Late reaction time...?_ He then shook his head and called, "Oi, Sora! Food!" To Tam, he turned to her and asked, "...Are you all right...?"  
  
Tam glanced over at him, blinking, then nodded quickly. "Oh! Hai, hai! Arigato..."  
  
Taro walked over to her. "Let me see it..." Before Tam could react, he grabbed her hands and studied them. His eyes widened slightly. Her hands were burned only slightly, but that's not what concerned him. What concerned him was the faint scars that varied in lengths but covered her hands. They were so faint, that unless you were studying her hands or looking for those scars, you wouldn't even notice that they were there.  
  
Tam quickly pulled her hands away and back to herself. "Taro..."  
  
"Tam...what happened to you? Who-"  
  
Before he could finish, Sora came into the doorway and blinked. "Um...you called?" he asked, a little hesitant.  
  
"Yes. We were just about to eat. Sit down." Tam said, quickly changing the subject and sitting down in one of the chairs.  
  
Taro frowned, then nodded and sat down. '...I'll ask again later...and hopefully that time I will get an answer...' he thought.  
  
"So...are you going to start explaining what's going on or what?" Sora asked, sitting down.  
  
Taro nodded solemnly. "You, Sora, are a keyblade wilder. Just like me. About a year ago, you apparently fought legions of monsters called Heartless... You remember?"  
  
_Flash! _Sora got an image of scaling a castle...scaling a castle and fighting...something... Fighting for his life. There were two people that were very important to him, two people that he had to save.  
  
That he was trying to save.  
  
Sora nodded. "I do remember flashes of some kind of fights...but it's very vague. I can hardly remember anything.... But those monsters outside...those are Heartless too, right?"  
  
Taro nodded again. "Yes. And you finally defeated their leader the last time and sealed the door to darkness-Kingdom Hearts. But now...they're back."  
  
"Is it for revenge?"  
  
Taro shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not really all that sure."  
  
"And their leader?"  
  
Taro shrugged again a bit cluelessly. "No idea. Nobody knows..." He frowned. "But like I said, they're back now. And we have to go to other worlds to seal the keyholes, stop the Heartless by closing the door to darkness, and saving my friends. You guys in?"  
  
"Well..." Sora started, a bit unsure.  
  
"Sora...if you do come...you might end up regaining your memory. You might end up finding a way back home." Tam said. 

Taro nodded. "It's worth a shot. C'mon, we need you, Sora." he persuaded.  
  
"Well...I..." Sora nodded and smiled. "Let's do it."  
  
"I'm in too!" Tam exclaimed.  
  
Both boys stared at her. "But...Tam...don't you think that it's going to be a little dangerous...?" Taro asked.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe we should drop you off at somewhere that's a bit more...safe..." Sora agreed.  
  
Tam's eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me?! Are you two trying to be sexist?" she demanded. "The whole 'Must protect the damsel in distress' thing? The 'You'll only get in our way and just be another person that we'll have to protect' thing, huh? Well I ain't buyin it! Obviously the two of you are gonna need help. Especially-" She glanced at Taro's band-aid and almost smirked. "-If you're getting defeated by a vegetable. You say this journey is dangerous? No problem, so am I. I'm coming with you two whether you like it or not and nothing's goin to stop me." She grinned, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms as if just daring anyone to challenge her or her statement.  
  
Taro closed his eyes and sighed, but then opened them again to smile softly in defeat. "Alright then. You can come."  
  
Tam smirked again. "Heh. Of course I can."  
  
_"One for all and all for one!"_  
  
Sora blinked. Another voice? Strange... But nevertheless, he closed his eyes and shook his head, then opened his eyes and smiled as he placed his hand in the middle of the table.  
  
"One for all and all for one!" he quoted.  
  
Tam and Taro blinked at the younger boy, then smiled and placed their hands on his.  
  
"Let's do it!" Tam cheered.  
  
Taro nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." He looked around at everyone. "Is everybody done eating?"  
  
His two comrades nodded.  
  
"Then let's go! Lead the way, Tam." Taro said, pulling on his black coat.  
  
Tam nodded.  
  
Outside, dressed in a dark blue cloak and hidden by the shadows that she stood in, stood a woman, watching the three teens leave the house and walk off down the street. Ceridwen. "It begins... Move ever forward. Remember, Sora. You will be the one that will open the door to the light. But beware. Danger lies on the road ahead of you for you all...from the inside...and the out..."  
  
Author's Note-Well, I'll try to have more up and posted soon! Just read and review and I shall be happy and motivated. Ja ne!


	17. Who's Up for a Game of Cards?

Author's Note-I would just like to say thank you for the reviews so far! Oh, and I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Meh...it's late. Or should I say early. So I'm not going to ramble with the rest of the author's note like I am here. Just remember that I am open to world suggestions. Now, just read and enjoy!  
  
"So, they're on their way." Silence said, his amber eye glowing softly from underneath his hood as he stood in the dark cavern. He watched the teens through the liquid orb that floated in midair before him. He glanced back at the red-haired warrior that was kneeling behind him. "He's powerful in spirit, it seems. And seemingly too innocent for a even demon to kill or to capture, I believe. But then, you should know that firsthand. Right, Chaos?"  
  
Chaos nodded. "...Yes... It was because of him that Tranquility remembered and broke free... Normally I can restrain and control him..."  
  
"But the thought of killing the boy gave the human strength. The strength to stop you so abruptly, apparently. And not to mention that fighting him had already lowered your defenses since, after all, he was only a boy." Silence said, his voice slightly amused.  
  
"Is the power of innocence really that strong sir?" Hyotoko inquired a bit curiously.  
  
"Yes. Innocence is light. Which is why he is such a formidable opponent." Silence replied.  
  
Hyotoko took a step forward. "Then I don't see why you can't just send me to bring him here! It wouldn't be as much trouble... We're best friends; he trusts me!"  
  
"No longer." Silence said. The thirteen year-old frowned.  
  
"But...Lord Silence-"  
  
Silence moved aside to reveal the orb before him. He motioned for the boy to step nearer.  
  
And step nearer he did. Hyotoko watched with a sinking heart Taro and his two new friends. "Look into the orb, Hyotoko. As you can see, your best friend Taro has found new friends to replace the old. He is unsure of the sides, of where your loyalties lie. Thus, his trust in you has been lost. He would not willingly follow you here if you asked him to. Besides, you did ask him to already, correct? He did not comply that time. He wished not to go because he's left his old friends behind and doesn't want to go back. You and the others are now just a waste of his time."  
  
"Well he's doing the wrong thing! At least my loyalties lie with my friends! I would do anything to help them! Or at least...the friends that I have left..." Hyotoko said softly, sadly.  
  
"And Sakura...?"  
  
"I'd do anything for her! Especially her!"  
  
Silence blinked, then closed his eyes and smiled, shaking his head. "Your body nor your heart is not yet strong enough to do 'anything' just yet. You are still just a child."  
  
"Then what can I do for right now? How can I help her?"  
  
Silence's smile faded as he looked into the ball. "Train. And wait. Practice makes perfect, Hyotoko. And then you truly can help your dear Sakura in regaining her heart."  
  
Hyotoko nodded. "...Yes sir..." With those two words said, he bowed and walked off, disappearing into the darkness of the shadows.  
  
Silence watched him and then turned back to the orb. "Tch. Loyalty. What an unfavorable trait of an enemy." He sneered, eyes narrowing. "Merely a complicator of things and a child's naïve trust."  
  
Chaos cleared his throat, him of being long forgotten. "And speaking of loyalty, whathaps be the status of the old messed up puppet that thinks he can control us?"  
  
"A puppet, you say? It is he that is the leader-I am only second-in-command." Silence replied, a smirk on his face and a hit of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Then forgive me for talking badly of our _'leader'_. I shall now go and take my leave and try to find my place." Chaos said as he stood up with a matching smirk and sarcasm. With that and a mock bow, he walked off, disappearing as well.  
  
Silence pulled a crystal from the pocket of his black coat and rolled it around in his hand as his view focused on the image of Sora in the ball. In his hand... Sora's crystal. "Hm...Sora, isn't it? Let's play a little game. After all, it would be far too easy if you were to regain all of your memories in one swoop, and quite boring at that."  
  
He closed his hand around the crystal, then lifted his middle and index finger with a set of cards between them, each card with a crystal heart seal and three points at the top, like a crown. "Through a set of trials, however...this will make things a lot more interesting." With that, he cast the cards (keeping a few for himself) to the elements to settle down randomly with different people in very different worlds.  
  
"Now, boy...let the games...begin..."

-----

"Hey..."  
  
A voice...a voice in the darkness? Who was calling to him?  
  
"Hey, kid! Wake up!"  
  
"Do you think that he was hurt worse than we thought he was?"  
  
"Hm...no... The hi-potion should've cleared all of that up..."  
  
"Well what if it was brain-damage?"  
  
Long silence. Then, "...No idea..."  
  
Blue eyes opened slowly and two blurred humanoid figures came into view. "...Sakura...?" the boy muttered, slightly disoriented.  
  
"No, I'm Kairi! And that's Tifa... Remember?"  
  
The blurred view came into focus. Seeing a bit more clearly now, he could tell that the speaker...Kairi, apparently..._did_ look a lot like Sakura. But her hair was a bit longer than Sakura's (it didn't stop right at the shoulders but was about an inch longer than that), and the eyes were blue and not hazel. Kairi wore a school uniform, and she looked about a year or two older than Sakura. It was easy to see how he had been mistaken.  
  
The other girl, Tifa, wore a brown skirt and a white tank top, and had long, dark brown hair with brown eyes. She looked around Kairi's age.  
  
The boy blinked. "...Are you the two girls that rescued me?"  
  
Kairi nodded. "Yeah. We are. And you are...Kiyoshi, right?"  
  
"Yeah...Insei Kiyoshi..." He blinked, then suddenly sat up quite abruptly. "Wait a second! Is this Traverse Town?! Where is Taro?! And Riku?! Don't tell me that they're still at home fighting all those monsters!"  
  
Kairi's eyes widened. "What?" she exclaimed. She grabbed the boy's shoulders. "You know Riku?! Please, tell me where he is! Is he alright?! Was he with a boy named Sora?!"  
  
"Calm down, Kairi, calm down! I'm sure Sora's all right." Tifa said, grabbing Kairi's shoulders and pulling her away gently. She looked back over at Kiyoshi. "He is, isn't he?"  
  
Kiyoshi blinked. "I don't even know anyone called Sora. I'm from a place called Twilight Town. And as for Riku...my cousin found him a couple of months ago. He was sick and with fever, but he got better. Oh, and I don't know if this is anything new to you guys, but Riku is blind." When he saw the looks of shock on the girls' faces, he said, "Oh. I guess it is."  
  
"No! You can't be talking about the same Riku!" Kairi exclaimed. No, it couldn't be true. Riku, the same best friend of her and Sora since childhood. Riku, their friend who had wanted to see other worlds. The one who had been so eager to. It was he who had come up with the idea to build the raft, he who had got them all excited about seeing other worlds.  
  
And now he couldn't see. This all had to be complete hell for him. Who could've done this? Who would've been so cruel...?  
  
_'And worse,' _Kairi thought with a sinking heart, _'If just being blind is what happened to Riku, then worse has probably happened to Sora...'  
_  
Tifa had recovered more quickly though. She didn't know Sora and Riku very well-she never had the chance to. She had moved to Destiny Islands from one of the neighboring islands called Nibelheim only about a week before the Heartless attack. Of course, the entire reason that she moved was _because_ the Heartless had come to her island earlier. But already in the week's time that she had been there, she had met Kairi at school and became fast friends with her. It was her that had been one of the few that had even _believed_ Kairi about the Heartless attack since everybody had thought that it had just been some kind of practical joke.  
  
Oh humans and their naïve minds.  
  
She turned to Kiyoshi. "Why don't you give us a description. What did he look like?"  
  
"He was tall. Well, kind of tall. Taller than me... He had white hair...it was shoulder-length. Oh, and I think he was sixteen. He seemed to no longer have any memory at all, and he claimed that to be the case, but he certainly seemed to know what he was doing back home when the monsters attacked. You know, I really just don't know what to believe anymore." Kiyoshi described, sighing. He blinked, then frowned. "Now I need help with something..."  
  
"Huh?" Both of the girls asked, blinking at him.  
  
"I...I'm lost... I mean, I was supposed to find Sora in Traverse Town with Taro and Riku, but... I don't know. My ship blasted off without them and was hit by something big. The next thing I know, I'm being hurled here and into the water. My world was attacked by monsters, and what's worse, my older sister Sakura and my best friend Hyotoko was kidnapped by who I think may have been their leader." Kiyoshi sniffled.  
  
_Be strong._ He thought to himself. But as he looked around at these strange new people, this almost-bare guest room, he realized already that everything that he had ever known and ever held dear had been ripped away, and no matter how hard he'd try, things would never again go back to normal.  
  
Kairi's eyes widened. "Monsters?!" she exclaimed. She and Tifa exchanged glances. "The Heartless." Kairi said, her hands tightening into fists at her sides.  
  
Tifa glanced over at her, then sighed and turned back to Kiyoshi. "...You're at Destiny Islands. Not Traverse Town. And no, Sora is not here, either."  
  
Kiyoshi sweatdropped. "Well, that much I gathered..."  
  
Tifa nodded and turned back to Kairi. "I'll take care of the boy from here. You just get some rest, okay? You really looked like you need it."  
  
Kairi nodded and walked slowly out of the house. She went down the street, down to the coast where the shore was rocky, lost in thought.  
  
With tearful eyes, she could almost see the three small children playing on the rocks, hopping and climbing...but that was just a memory. One of the few things left of her friends.  
  
Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out a shiny, smooth red and black stone. It was a pretty stone, but its value wasn't from looks.

-----

_ A brunette and a white-haired boy scampered up a particularly large rock like tree monkies and hopped onto a log when they reached the top. A red-haired girl tried to keep up with them. "Sora! Riku! Wait for me!" She stepped on the log; her eyes suddenly widened and she gasped as her foot slipped and she tumbled off.  
  
Looking down at her skinned knee, the five year-old burst out crying. The boys, hearing her wails, ran back to her.  
  
"Kairi!" the six year-old Riku exclaimed. "Hang on... I'll go get a grown-up. Sora, stay with her while I'm gone."  
  
His five year-old companion, Sora, nodded and watched his friend run off to get some help. Throughout Kairi's tears, he stayed loyally by her side. Finally, he looked around and his face brightened to see a shiny red stone that was speckled with black, glistening in the waves. He ran over and brought it back, then knelt down next to Kairi and said, "I know it's not much, but...it's pretty. I thought you might like it. Please don't cry..."  
  
Kairi blinked, her tears stopping, and took the stone. Her face, streaked with tears, turned into a small smile. "Thank you." she sniffled.  
  
Sora rubbed the back of his head and flashed his goofy smile at her. "You're welcome." He replied._

-----

Kairi fingered the same small stone in her hand now. "Sora..." she said. She sniffled; a tear ran down her cheek.  
  
_"I'll come back to you!"  
_  
"Sora...you said that you'd come back to me. So where are you?!"  
  
She whirled around and karate-punched a tree (since Tifa had been teaching her a bit of karate moves), letting all of her frustrations flow out of her system and into that one hit. "The Heartless are back...and I can't fight them all by myself... I can't fight them without you! We need you, Sora...we need you..."  
  
"Hey, that's not a bad punch..." a voice said off to her left. She whirled around to see Kiyoshi. He still had bandages wrapped around him, around his arms and his head and chest, and he was wearing the torn black shirt from earlier, but he was standing like the injuries weren't affecting him at all and he was even smiling slightly.  
  
"But," he said, "I actually find this punch a little more effective. The Shikan-ken." With that, he punched the tree himself. Kairi noticed that his fist was quite odd. It was formed with the fingers half-folded, leaving the middle knuckles protruding. The punch was bullet-like, going straight in with all the force behind the striking points. The elbow didn't raise along the outside of the fist's path, nor did the punch bend or hook.  
  
She also noticed the new crack in the tree.  
  
"Hey! Don't do that! You'll only open your wounds back up aga-" Tifa stopped and stared at the crack in the tree, her voice trailing off. "- ain...Woah..." She blinked.  
  
Kairi turned to the younger boy. "What did you say your name was again?"  
  
"Insei Kiyoshi."  
  
"Kokoro Kairi." She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."  
  
Author's Note-Heheh...I think the last name 'Kokoro' fits...It means 'heart/spirit/soul'... And Kiyoshi Insei means 'quiet falling star'...and Kiyoshi fell from the sky as a 'falling star' –sweatdrops-... Yeah...if you look at the names, then you'll see a bunch of name puns in here, really... Just felt like I should just randomly share that without reason... -sweatdrops further- Yeah. I'm quite tired and loopy. Been up all night writing. Just be sure to do your part and review! Ja ne!


	18. We're Off to See Other Worlds

Author's Note-Hey, I'm updating early! Anyways, it really sucks that school starts back in about a week. But hopefully it won't slow down updates! Here our heroes will meet their first Disney movie cast. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, so please don't sue me! Enjoy!

"Are you sure that you're leading us the right way?" Taro whispered. He, Sora, and Tam skulked in the shadows at the docks. Tam wouldn't allow them to raise their voices, for fear that the Heartless might hear.  
  
"Yes, I am. This is my part of town, where I grew up. Now shhh..." Tam said confidently.  
  
"So that's why you're wearing our rival school's uniform..." Taro muttered, but he shut up quickly. They finally came to an old brick building. Taro remembered hearing that it had once been a fire station, but a new one had been built across town where it was more convenient. This one looked like it was falling apart. He wasn't sure how anybody could live here without worrying that the place would fall down on top of them. To add to the old abandoned flair, the darkening sky gave it an almost eerie look.  
  
Tam beckoned the two boys forward. "C'mon..." she said. She knocked on the front door. "Hello? Hello!" she called.  
  
Taro and Sora exchanged glances as they sweatdropped. "So much for being quiet, huh?" Sora commented. Taro just shrugged.  
  
"Sooner or later she's just going to confuse the hell out of me..." Taro said, shaking his head. Sora just smiled goofily. Tam glared over at them.  
  
"Shut up or the Heartless are gonna eat you first." She said.  
  
"The Heartless don't eat people.." Taro said, sweatdropping further.  
  
Tam raised an eyebrow. "Wanna bet?" She banged on the door again. "Hello?"  
  
Taro shook his head again. "Face it, Tam, the Heartless probably got them a-"  
  
"Don't touch that, Vinny!" There was a quite large explosion of pink smoke, coming from the third-story window. "I told you not to touch that, Vinny! Now look what you've done! Now Milo and I are going to have to start on it all over again!" The head of a black-haired girl popped out of the window. "Yeah? Whaddaya want?" she called down at them.  
  
"We're in need of a gummi ship. Think you can help us?" Tam called back up.  
  
Pause. Then, "Yeah, sure. Kida, let them in!" The head disappeared back inside the building.  
  
Tam smirked over at them. "See? I told you there was still people here." She said.  
  
Taro sighed and rolled his eyes. "Women and their intuition." He said. It was Sora's turn to just smile and shake his head.  
  
The door was opened by a young woman with tanned skin and long white hair.  
  
"Hi. My name is Tam and these are my friends, Taro and Sora. We were hoping to do some business with you guys." Tam said, giving the woman a winning smile.  
  
The woman smiled back and stepped to the side to let them in. "I'm Kida." She said. "We repair machinery, build machinery-"  
  
"Build gummi ships?" Tam interjected. "Because that's why we came."  
  
Kida nodded. "Of course. Everybody is getting off this planet ever since the Heartless came along."  
  
"You know about the Heartless?" Taro questioned, blinking.  
  
The woman rolled her eyes. "Tch. Sure I know about them. They destroyed our world. We came here to seek refuge and set up shop, but apparently even this world come within their grasp." Kida said, crossing her arms. She then looked straight at Taro. "In fact, you look like one of _them_."  
  
Taro straightened. "What?! I do _not_ look like a Heartless!" Taro argued indignantly.  
  
"With all that black he's wearing, he could pass off as one." Sora whispered to Tam. Tam snickered.  
  
"Not a Heartless! The non-existent!"  
  
"The wha-"  
  
"Get out! I never want to see you in this room again!" A girl's voice yelled from upstairs. The teens sweatdropped as a man with a thick, black mustache and a bit of a flat head came sliding quickly down the pole, slightly frazzled.  
  
Kida smirked. "You messed with her new design, didn't you? Even after she told you not to?"  
  
The man held up two hollow rods and balls in his hands. When he spoke, it was with a thick accent. "What? I thought that she would want a few lasers on there...maybe a couple of explosives..." he said, tossing a couple of the balls up and down in his hand. The teens took a wary step back as they realized that what he was really tossing was the said explosives.  
  
He looked over at the teenagers almost questionably, but he didn't have time to ask...well, anything really, because at that moment, the black- haired girl from earlier and a tall but knobby young man with glasses went sliding down the pole. The girl went glancing over at them and rolled her eyes. "Tch. I used to take lunch money from kids like these." She sneered.  
  
Taro formed a keyblade in his hand. He didn't really expect to fight- he was quite tired of it, really. But his trust in strange new people had diminished in the past twenty-four to forty-eight hours quite quickly.  
  
However, the girl didn't seem too take the threat too seriously. "Oho, so you're going to beat me up with a giant ke-"  
  
Until she gave him a second glance. Her eyes widened. "What is a non- existent doing in here?!" she demanded.  
  
"I am not a non-existent!" Taro shot back.  
  
"That's what the non-existent wear!"  
  
"That is true. They do wear jackets like that." The knobby man agreed, nodding.  
  
"Well I'm not." Taro sighed exasperatedly. "My name is Kimoto Taro from the other side of town. Look, if you need proof, then just look in the phone book. My parents' names are Saitou and Tsuki Kimoto." He said.  
  
Wrong. His last name was really Hajime, but his father was an undercover cop. Therefore, the last name everybody knew him by was Kimoto.  
  
Kida rolled her eyes. "It's probably just a fashion statement by now. You know: crazy teens." She said with a wave. "Remember, one of those other boys was wearing it earlier.  
  
Taro's eyes widened. "A boy? Wearing a coat just like mine? Did he have white hair?" he asked.  
  
"There were two boys. Both with white hair."  
  
""Well...was one of them wearing a blindfold?"  
  
The four thought for a moment. "Hey, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure there was. Yeah. I think the other boy called him...Riku."  
  
"Riku!" Taro and Sora exclaimed at once.  
  
Tam sweatdropped as she looked back and forth at the two boys. She sighed. "Why am I always the one to be kept out of the psychic loop?" she demanded. Sora shrugged.  
  
Taro ignored them. "Riku...yeah. Do you know where he and the other boy went?"  
  
"Gone." The black-haired girl said.  
  
"Gone?" Taro repeated.  
  
"Yep. Gone. The two of them bought a gummi ship and took off."  
  
"...Oh..." Taro said, slightly disheartened. Okay, he had to admit. Maybe a little more than slightly.  
  
"How do you know about the non-existent, by the way?" Tam asked a bit curiously.  
  
"We're refugees. Our world was destroyed by the Heartless, but the first sign of bad news was when the non-existents began to show up. But back then they had been dubbed as 'unknowns.'" The knobby man said.  
  
"I see..." Tam said, apparently losing her interest about halfway through his explanation for some reason.  
  
"I'm Milo, by the way."  
  
"Audrey." The black-haired girl seconded.  
  
"And I'm Vinny." The bomb-man said.  
  
"Now, what is it that you want?" Audrey asked.  
  
"We need a gummi ship." Sora replied.  
  
"Another bunch leaving the planet, huh?" Audrey sighed.  
  
"Well, we're not really trying to escape. You see..." Taro started. And with that, he and his friends explained their plight.  
  
"Well, we're building a new model. If you can wait for about an hour, we'll be done and happy to lend it to you." Milo said.  
  
Taro smiled. "Thanks." He said.  
  
So with that, they waited for about an hour until Milo finally came out, grinning and with grease stains on his face. "It's finished." He announced, wiping grease off his hands on his trousers.  
  
Tam frowned. "Why are you four staying here? You know that the planet will eventually be destroyed by the Heartless."  
  
"We already left our own world and made this one our home. We plan to stick it out here for as long as we can." Kida said.  
  
"Until the end..." Sora whispered.  
  
Audrey nodded. "Until the very end. When the planet starts falling apart, then we'll start making our way to Traverse Town." She said defiantly. "We can ward off the Heartless and the unknowns well enough until then. You kids just focus on stopping the Heartless and their plans."  
  
Taro nodded and then frowned. "Oh, by the way. If this planet starts to fall apart... If you happen to see a young boy with shoulder-length black hair by the name of Kiyoshi in Traverse Town... He's my cousin... Make sure that he stays out of trouble for me. Okay?" he asked.  
  
Kida smiled. "No problem." She said. Taro smiled.  
  
"Thanks." He said as he boarded. His friends said their goodbyes to the group of mechanics and followed.  
  
The mechanics watched the ship blast off. Kida smiled. "Well, there goes three kids with the worlds on their shoulders." She said.  
  
"Yeah. I don't know whether to be happy or scared." Audrey said.  
  
Her three comrades blinked down at her, then smiled and shook their heads.

Author's Note-Geez. I need to rent Atlantis again... -sweatdrops- Hopefully I didn't get anyone _too_ ooc. .Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering what's going on with Riku, he will be in the next chapter. And I plan on bringing in a bit of Final Fantasy Seven in the next chapter as well... Anyways, please review! Ja ne!


	19. Dem What?

Author's Note-School sucks! ...But oh well.. sigh Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts and this is where Final Fantasy 7 comes in (which I don't own either.) In fact, I'm planning on bringing one of the characters in on this in the next chapter. Come and find out!

Riku yawned as he sat back in the copilot's seat. So far the trip had been quite tedious. Yukiro had been piloting. After a minute, Riku finally said, "So...how 'bout dem geebas...?"

Yukiro rolled his eyes. "Dem what?" he repeated, raises an eyebrow. He glanced over at Riku to see him yawning again and said, "If you're going to sleep, then I suggest going and lying back on one of the cots in the back and burning some Goldenwood while you do."

"We've been flying for five hours in silence. Can't we at least put on some music?" Riku asked boredly.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Pop a CD in. There might be some in the glove compartment." Yukiro said. At the glare that Riku gave him, he blinked and said, "Oh. Oh right. You're blind..."

"...Yeah..."

"My apologies..." Yukiro said a bit absently as he popped open the glove compartment and rooted around, keeping his eyes on outer space. He pulled out several CDs and popped a random one into the CD player.

"What's the CD called?" Riku asked.

"I...don't know..." Yukiro said. He glanced at the case, then read it aloud. "'Walt Disney Rides.'"

"That sounds promising." Riku muttered a bit sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest as he put his feet up on the dashboard and leaned back.

Yukiro shrugged as he hit the play button. "Iiit's a small world after all! Iiit's a small world after all! It's-" little children's voices sang.

Riku nearly fell out of his seat and Yukiro flinched and clapped his hands over his ears. "Good god, turn that off!" Riku exclaimed.

"I'm workin on it!" Yukiro assured him as he pressed the stop button. There was a moment of relieved silence.

Finally Riku said, "...If the Heartless could sing...then that would be it.."

Yukiro nodded in agreement.

"Why is there even a CD like that even on this ship...?" Riku wondered aloud, frowning.

"...No idea. Let's try another CD... That one." Yukiro said, shrugging and popping in a new CD.

"Oh god... What's this one called?" Riku asked warily, a bit apprehensive.

"Hm... Final Fantasy Seven..." Yukiro read as he hit the play button.

Riku listened to the orchestra music beginning to play. Yukiro only grinned. "Heh...this music sure brings back memories." He said.

"You mean your royal life?" Riku asked, turning his head to 'look' at the boy beside him and raising an eyebrow.

"Yep." Yukiro said.

There was a bit of quiet that stretched on-save the music-that was suddenly ripped through with a resounding crash.

"What the-?!" Yukiro started. But Riku had already guessed what was going on.

"Heartless ships!" he cried.

"What?! No way! They're only supposed to surround our sector!" Yukiro exclaimed.

"Well, apparently they've spread farther across space in the past five hundred years." Riku shot back.

"Shit..." Yukiro growled, trying to manage the controls the best he could in the building tension.

Riku stood up. "Need some help?" he asked.

"Yes...no... Yes. Yeah. All right, Riku. I know you can't see so I'm going to aim for you. You just take the laser cannon and hold down the button." Yukiro said.

"Then who's steering?!"

"The aiming and the steering can be connected so I'm fine. Do you know where the firing button is?"

"Yeah. I think so." Riku said going over to the battle stations chair. Yeah. This ship was just like his old ship. Only this ship didn't have buttons that were written in Braille. _...I think they cheated us out of our money by saying that this was a brand new model. Damn mechanics._ He thought. To Yukiro, he called over as he flipped the switch of the weaponry to 'on', "Yeah. I got it."

"Gotcha. Locking aiming onto steering now." Yukiro announced. He watched as he aimed carefully. "Alright, and fire!"

Riku's palm slammed down on the big red button.

"Great. We might just be able to get out of this with only a couple of scratches." Yukiro commented. There was suddenly a crash as the ship shuddered, nearly knocking Riku (who hadn't been strapped in) out of his seat. "...Or not..."

"Where did they hit us?" Riku demanded.

"...It's one out of two of our engines..." Yukiro said, wincing.

"The engine?!"

Yukiro nodded as he frowned. "That's what I just said, isn't it? Hang on. We're in for a rough landing."

"Landing? Where?" Riku asked as he buckled up.

"There's a planet nearby. I can manage to land over there and that's as far as I've planned." Yukiro informed him.

Riku sweatdropped, then sighed. "Well then, go on ahead. I ain't stopping ya." He said, leaning back and basically waiting for death on impact.

Yukiro blinked, then frowned and sighed as he tried to regain whatever control he had left of the ship.

There was a few moments when suddenly, a crash! Several seconds of silence ensued.

Finally, "...You still alive?"

"Yeah...ow... And you?" Riku asked as he sat up.

"I'll pull through." Yukiro replied casually.

"Good to hear it. Now where are we?" Riku asked.

"Well...um... Hold on..." Yukiro said, frowning at the computer. He sighed as he tried to operate it. "Great. The computer's on the fritz now..." After a couple of seconds, his face lit up a bit. "Ahah! Hey, this is great! Yeah, exactly where we wanted to be."

"Okay. Where are we?"

"The planet is called Project Shinra."

"Okay. And why are we here?"

Yukiro only grinned. "Riku, this is where we'll get your help."

This statement raised Riku's interest. He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah." Yukiro said, standing up. "Follow me. Oh, and...watch your step." He said, walking out.

Riku nodded, grabbed his staff, and followed. His staff suddenly plunged into nothingness, or so it seemed since the ground appeared to be that deep. He jerked as he almost stepped off, leaning a lot on his staff. Yukiro blinked at him, then sweatdropped.

"Um...yeah... Like I said, watch your step. We landed at a bit of a tilt..." he said.

"Now you tell me..." Riku sighed, hopping off the ship.

"Yeah. Follow me..." Yukiro said, walking off. Riku followed after him.

"Oi! Where are we going?" Riku demanded.

"This is a very small planet. There's probably only three notable landmarks on here. Cosmo Canyon, the city of Midgar, and this. Shinra mansion. The rest is all forest, water, and fields where there has been rumored to be some uncharted regions... Anyways, back in my time, this was only a military base for my father. But now I'm sure that it's grown to be a lot more than just that-especially since the kingdom has been lost for centuries. As I said, right now we're going into Shinra mansion. A long line of scientists lived here and I'm hoping that a descendant of the scientist that I knew might be here and will hopefully be an expert scientist his or herself." Yukiro explained.

"That's a bit of a gamble, isn't it? I mean, we nearly got killed to get here and the person that we're looking for might not even exist." Riku said.

"Like we have a better option? Look, we don't have much of a choice. If you don't figure out a way to control the darkness in your dreams and in your heart, then something horrible is going to happen."

"What? What's going to happen?" Riku demanded. At Yukiro's silence, he glared. "Hey, we're talking about me here. I think I have the right to know what's going on. What's going to happen to me."

Yukiro just sighed and shook his head. "We're here." He grabbed the doorknob and frowned as he tried to open the door. After a few minutes he rattled the door. "It's locked.

Riku sighed. "Of course it's locked. Most _normal_ people do that to keep others from breaking and entering like what I'm sure that you were about to do. Why don't you try knocking? Here." With that, he knocked on the door. Unfortunately, because of the age of the house, the wooden door had rot...

Riku sweatdropped as he felt his fist go through something and splinter slightly into his hand. The door...

"...Nice..." Yukiro commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Er...right. Um...new plan..."

Yukiro sweatdropped. "Yeah." He agreed. His bladed staff (which oddly enough, Riku could see the light of) formed in his hand. Riku sweatdropped further.

"You're going to cut it down?"

Yukiro raised an eyebrow as he got ready to use his staff on the door. "You got a better idea?"

Riku opened his mouth to argue, then shut it and sighed. "Nope. Go on ahead." He said.

He watched the staff slash-no, fly-in front of them, practically leaving trails of fading light due to the speed of it all. There was a clatter before them, the sound of all the wood falling in a heap.

Yukiro looked back at him before stepping inside. "C'mon..."

Riku followed. Being blind, his other senses had hightened. He could smell a musty smell, the smell of age that would wait for nothing.

Riku's nose twitched, then sneezed. "There's a lot of dust in here... Are you sure if anybody still lives here or not? I can't even detect the faintest traces of light, next to ours..."

Yukiro sighed. "I guess... Wait. What is this?" He picked up a sheet of parchment. "Ha ha ha." He read aloud. "I have followed my prince's orders and hidden him in the basement. You can find him and release him if you'd like. But it's only a game, merely a game. If you wish to find him, follow the clues on the next page? Oh geez..." Yukiro sighed and dropped the parchment. Riku heard it flutter to the ground. "Bah. Forget that. We don't have time for this. C'mon. I know where the basement is."

They walked a bit, Riku following the being of light until...

"Ow! Hey!" he suddenly exclaimed as he tripped.

"Oh yeah. There's some stairs there. Careful." Yukiro said, rolling his eyes at the blind boy.

Riku glared up at him. "So I noticed. Thanks." He said.

"Well hey, you have a staff. Why don't you be smart and start using it? Geez..." Yukiro sighed, continuing.

They progressed up the stairs and into one of the bedrooms (or at least what Riku assumed to be a bedroom), and stopped. Riku sighed. "What are we doing now? Basements are supposed to be downstairs. You know, like...dungeons or cellars or something..."

"Right. But this basement is secret in this house."

"Then how do you know where it is?"

"I know just about every nook and cranny of this house. As I said, my father owned this military base, he owned this very planet. I stayed here for a month or two every few years with Professor Gast and his wife, Ifalna. Think I just sat around doing nothing all that time? Now, let's see...Darkest Secrets of the Cetra...Darkest Secrets of the Cetra... Ah, here we are." Yukiro said.

Riku felt a bit of cool air wash over him as he heard a 'swoosh.'

"Careful here. There's a rickety spiral staircase right here." Yukiro warned. Riku heard creaking steps in front of him and nodded as he followed them.

They reached the bottom and came to another door. "Not again..." Yukiro sighed.

"So Professor Gast set this all up, huh?" Riku asked, catching up to him. Yukiro held his staff out, stopping Riku from walking right into the door.

"No. Professor Gast was captured and experimented on, as was his wife, when...when _he_ came into power..."

"He?"

"My brother."

"Oh."

Yukiro sighed. "Here. Stand back."

Riku took a step back and watched several quickly fading trails of light come into view. There was the clatter of wood before him and Yukiro stepped inside.

Yukiro looked around at the open coffins housing skeletons, the pile of skulls in the corner. There was a look of disgust on his face. "His replacement was Professor Hojo. I never like him, the sadistic little creep..."

"Do I even want to know?" Riku asked as he followed him inside, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh, no, probably not." Yukiro said, stopping in front of a purple coffin. He sweatdropped, then rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Great, he's already dead. C'mon, Riku. Let's go." He sighed, turning towards the door.

Riku frowned a bit but didn't move. "No, wait. There's light in there. If he were dead, then I wouldn't see it." He sighed.

Yukiro stopped and turned back as he frowned. He then raised an eyebrow as he walked over to the coffin. "Well, I guess that means that we have no other choice than to just open this coffin and just deal with whatever pops out. Savvy?" he asked. As he placed his hand on the lid, he then muttered, "Geez. I wonder why I feel like we're grave robbing..."

Then he lifted the lid...

Author's Note-To those of you who has done this part of the game in Final Fantasy 7 (it's optional), you probably know who it is already. For those who haven't...um...you'll find out? Anyways, this chapter was long, so I had to cut it a bit short and decided to make a little cliffy right around here. I'll update soon so please review! Ja ne!


	20. The Last Knight from the Kingdom of Flam...

Author's Note-School...and six hours of sleep is not fun.. –yawns- Anyways, like I said, I don't own KH. Also, it's the character you've all been waiting for coming into this chapter. And by the way, I would just like to thank you guys for all the reviews so far. Well, I'm done rambling. Enjoy!

Red eyes suddenly snapped open. The first thing he saw was the penetrating, nearly blinding light. Oh well. At least that was acceptable. The second thing he saw was not so pleasant.

It was a boy. A boy with waist-long hair pulled back at the low neck in a ponytail. In his hand was a bladed staff, though not a scythe because the blade was at the top, it pointed up. The prince! That damned prince who had ruined everything, ordered his torture, and then finally imprisoned him here.

Instantly he shot up. In a flash his gun was out of its holster and pressed against the prince's forehead.

But in the same instant, the scythe-shaped blade had been pressed to his throat. His metal claw (which he remembered regretfully that it used to be a hand) twitched, by now almost instinctively.

When the prince spoke, it was authoritively, as almost expected of him, of course. "Sir Vincent Valentine, you will lower your weapon immediately. That is a direct order from your prince."

Vincent glared. "No. My prince was a traitor to his people... I refuse to serve under the orders of a tyrant!" Vincent shot back, not lowering the gun.

The prince's eyes narrowed. "I am Prince Yukiro of the light and don't you forget it. Do not confuse me with my wretched twin brother of the dark."

As the prince said this, he noticed the colors. This prince had white hair and crystal blue eyes. His baggy pants and kimono top where white, decorated with gold stars and blue snowflakes-an exact opposite of his twin. The staff was white and the blade was silver, and clean as well-no stains of blood. This boy's aura was light.

Behind him was another boy, one that had shoulder-length white hair that was almost silver (considering on the light) hair and a blindfold. His claw twitched though when he saw that the boy was wearing a black jacket-the mark of one of _them_. The dark knights, the unit that had replaced his. His aura even matched the latest of the knights, only the inner aura was light, other than just all dark.

Slowly he lowered his weapon, twirling it and putting it back into his holster, and Yukiro withdrew his blade. Vincent then gracefully flipped up and onto the rim of his coffin and looked down at them. Then he bowed slightly. "Prince Yukiro...to what do I owe this...unexpected honor?" he said. There was a fait edge of sarcasm in his voice. He could never forget what the royal family had done to him, and never forgive them. Never.

-----

Yukiro smiled slightly and Vincent raised an eyebrow. _Maybe I can't find a professor here. But the knight Vincent Valentine might be able to help just as much if not more. Well, if the rumors are true, that is..._ he thought.

"Sir Valentine, are the rumors true? About the talk of the temporary dark heart encasement and you becoming a beast that is uncontrolled?"

"..." Vincent straightened, closed his eyes, and bowed his head. "Yes. But only when I am threatened." He looked up. "But why is this information important?"

Yukiro stepped aside and motioned to Riku. "My comrade, Riku, has nearly the same problem. However, his might be a bit more serious. As an occlumist, I need you to give him lessons in such. Only, not like in occlumency, I need you to see his memories and then send him tormenting images like in his dreams. He needs to learn how to defeat those, starting at a low level; his mentality must strengthen." He explained. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"An unusual request... And what do I get in return?" Vincent challenged.

"What?" Yukiro demanded.

"My loyalty to the king and the royal family has dried up. I cannot forgive what your father and your brother have done to me and the others. I refuse to teach such lessons without some sort of payment."

"But I am your prince and that is an order!"

"The kingdom is lost in darkness. Your knights and lands are a mere handful; your status of 'prince' is practically a mere mockery by now. Welcome to the real world, Prince Yukiro. You snuck out of the castle to run and hide among the peasants so many a time that I would expect you to know how to act such as one."

Yukiro sighed, then closed his eyes and crossed his arms, shifting his weight onto his back foot. "So you want revenge on my brother?"

The man with long black hair raised an eyebrow, now in slight interest. "Hm?"

"He was sealed and his heart was shattered about ten years after you were put to sleep. But however, his knights, the Dark Ones, are growing back into power again and thus are trying to reclaim the shattered pieces of his heart to find him and the kingdom and restore his reign. We cannot allow this to happen and so we are questing to assure that it does not. We have a gummi ship and will allow you to join us in our quest should you decide to help us. This is your chance for revenge. I wouldn't advise you passing it up."

Pause. Then, "Alright, fine. I will help you."

Yukiro smiled and opened his eyes. "Music to my ears. Then let's go."

-----

"So Tam. How did you know how to fly this thing?" Taro asked boredly, though a bit curious.

Tam, from the pilot's seat, held up a little booklet without looking away from the view of space. "Pilot Manual. Found it in the glove compartment."

"Well, did you see anything else to read in there? This is completely boring..."

Tam sighed.

"Well, I brought your book along. Hope you don't mind." Sora said, lying on his cot while reading 'The Book of Five Rings.'

Taro blinked, then rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sure, fine...whatever..."

"Taro." Tam called over to him. "If you want to have something to do, then come here and let me show you how to fly the ship."

Taro blinked, then smiled and nodded. "Sure." With that, he went over to the control panel.

Tam pointed the way through it easily, without even missing a beat, as if she had once had a gummi ship herself before.

Taro smiled. "You sure do absorb this kind of stuff pretty quickly." He complemented. "Heh. Wish I was that good at memorizing-I would pass all my quizzes then, even biology."

Tam smiled back softly. "Yeah... I guess so." She said in her quiet voice.

Behind them were the sounds of snoring. They looked over to see that Sora had fallen asleep, the hand clutching the book hanging over the edge of the cot. "Of course..." Taro said, grinning and rolling his eyes.

Tame blinked. "Taro..."

Taro looked over at her. "Yeah?"

"I have a question..." she admitted.

Taro raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the dashboard. "Shoot."

Tam nodded. "From what I've seen...you've been through a lot. You've had a lot of danger in your past, possibly even betrayal. It just makes me wonder why you've allowed Sora and I to come along with you. Surely you must have a little mistrust in us. So why did you let us come?"

Taro looked over at her and blinked. "Huh?" he thought for a minute, then smiled. "Well, you have a point. Yeah, now that I think about it, it was kind of stupid of me to bring two strangers along with me, huh? But King Mickey had told me to find Sora, and I knew that he looked like me. And from what I heard, you saved our lives. You even managed to get us this gummi ship, and a brand new model nonetheless. In my book, you guys are good friends." He finally said.

Tam stared out into space. "You give me too much credit..." she said a bit shyly, modestly. "And I guess...I just think of someone like you as too trusting. I knew a person like that once... They trusted some people...but they're not friends..." She shrugged. "But that's just me..."

Taro shrugged and looked back at Sora. "Sora... He's a pretty odd kid, isn't he?"

Tam nodded. "Yeah... He's barely said a word since...well, since I met him. He always acts so cheerful, but I think that's just a cover up. Deep down inside, I think he's just worried about his memories. About if he'll find out who he really is or not. But, then again, I suppose that fits everybody to some extent, ne?"

Just then Sora let out a really loud snore as he rolled over. Tam sweatdropped. "Then again, I guess I could be wrong..."

Taro nodded, then frowned. "...Hey, Tam?"

Tam blinked. "Yeah?"

"Those scars on your hands... How did you get them?"

Tam's look gradually grew troubled as she frowned. She then swiveled her chair back to the view of space. "Let's just say that...I think I just fell into the wrong crowd once. If that answers your question..." she said softly.

Taro frowned slightly, then nodded. "Well enough..." He blinked up at the top corner of the view, spotting a few dots off in the distance. "Hey...what is that?" he asked, pointing to the dots.

Tam blinked. "...Huh...?" Her eyes followed Taro's line of vision to see the dots. "Oh, shit!" she cried. At that moment, the ship shook, being hit by...something. Taro, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, nearly fell out of his chair.

Sora sat up. "Huh? What? Where's the fire...?" he asked, blinking sleepily.

"What is it?" Taro demanded.

"Heartless ships." Tam said grimly."

"What?! You mean they're in space?!" Taro exclaimed, eyes wide.

Tam nodded. "Right."

"Can't we outrun them?" Sora asked.

Tam shook her head. "'Fraid not. We can't use fight or flight-it's going to have to be fight _and_ flight. That's the only way we can get out of this. Taro, take the weapon controls!"

"You got it." Taro said, jumping into the seat of the weapon controls. When Tam had been explaining, Taro had wondered why there was even a weapons system. Now he knew why.

"Hey, cool! This is so Scared!" he commented when he saw the targeting screen. Sora blinked a bit confusedly. "A computer shooting game on bored. com." Taro explained.

"Ah." Sora said.

Tam just looked over at Taro as if he were an idiot. Taro merely grinned. Sora blinked.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Just sit down and sit tight. We're going into battle." Tam said, focusing her eyes back on the screen.

Sora nodded, sat down in the copilot's seat, and buckled up.

-----

"Silence. Report. Have you found all of the fragments yet?" the man-the lord of the castle-ordered.

"Not yet, but I have some...theories..." Silence admitted as he bowed a low bow.

"What is keeping you now? The keyblade wielders are closing in-your time is growing limited, Silence..."

"Yes Sir, but I have my doubts that the heart fragments alone will unlock the kingdom." Silence informed him.

The man's eyes narrowed. "...What?"

"I have searched the archaic documents of Kingdom Gaia, or at least the ones that remain on the outside. Its gates have been lost in darkness and so has its prince. We must find the girl who can find the prince."

"And who is this girl?"

Silence sighed. "Regrettably...it is Princess Seika Shukusei, who locked herself within the castle gates."

The man sighed in frustration. "What's our second best option then?"

"Possibly a relative. Somebody closely connected to the princess." Silence responded.

"Then find this person. Use the Heartless, the others, I don't care how and who. But we're running out of time-they'll be here before we know it." The man ordered.

"Patience, my lord. Even if they do arrive, we should be able to handle them well enough. But I shall begin the search, I assure you that. For the fragments...and the person." Silence said, bowing deep and low again. He then turned on his heel and walked out.

Author's Note-Evil is afoot! Heh... Yeah, I just had to bring Vincent in (how can they have a KH game without him?) –sweatdrops- Great, looks like my rough draft just ran out again...well, I'll be sure to write more over the weekend, or at least try to. I will still post before the next eight days is up though, so just read and review! Ja ne!


	21. Seeds of the Beginning

Author's Note-Sorry this chappie came out late! School's a killer. They shouldn't give tenth graders as much work as college students. -.-; Anyways, here I've brought my first Disney movie in. Forgive me if I've get a couple of characters occ-I haven't seen the movie since I was like...five...and they don't have it at Blockbuster at the moment. Hopefully I shall see it soon, though. Also, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. So without further ado, here's the next chapter!

The ship gave another pained shudder. "No good. If we don't land soon then eventually they'll take out one of our engines or the cockpit-whichever comes first." Tam said grimly.

Taro glared at the screen, then lowered his head. "Sorry guys... I'm trying to shoot them all down, but... I can't. There's just too many of them..."

Tam frowned. "...Don't blame yourself, Taro. After all, I'm the one that's piloting. I probably never should have steered us into this sector to begin with, but I wanted to take a shortcut and now we're trapped in this. I'm sorry..." She smiled a bit softly, then set her face to a determined look. "Now, there's a planet just below. With some fancy flying, I can probably take us down there and we can then survey the damage done to this ship. Hold on tight."

With those words spoken, she gripped the steering controls and frowned in concentration yet with determination.

"Fancy flying?! Tam, you said yourself that you just learned how to fly this ship!" Taro demanded.

Sora nodded in agreement, frowning. "He's right, you know... What if we crash?"

"Um...then we all die?" Tam asked in a tone as if she were speaking to idiots. She rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Like we have a lot of options right now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. The turbulence of the rough flight made the ship suddenly start spasming violently. "Because if anybody's got a better idea, then I'd be happy to hear it right about now."

At the blank, forgiving silence, she glanced over at them and flashed them a grin. "Don't worry. You two boys ain't the only ones who know how to play video games around here. Be prepared to see the fancy video game flying of the Blue Angels Queen!"

"Now, just hang on tight and you'll be fine." Tam muttered under her breath, a small and slight smirk gradually beginning to appear on her face. Sora and Taro, though having the faith that she had earned in her, could not help but to exchange a worried glance.

Another shudder, the leveling out of the floor, and the feeling of pressure being released. The feeling of relief washed over the small ship's crew, seeing tropical jungle treetops appear in the view of the cockpit as they lowered slowly, softly, then finally they carefully make a gentle landing onto the palm branch-strewn jungle floor.

"Everyone all right?" Sora asked everybody, looking around and blinking.

"Eh, I'll be fine." Taro said. He paused. Blinked. "Tam?" He looked over at the red-haired girl, who was making her way out of the ship. She pressed the button to open up the door and hopped out. Taro and Sora exchanged a frown and followed.

They jumped out to see Tam looking around at the forest in awe. "Wow... Look at this place..." she said breathlessly.

Taro blinked, then nodded. "Yeah...another world... So this is what it's like. Traveling from world to world. You would never see stuff like this in Twilight Town..." He looked over at Tam, who was caressing a large pink flower gently in her hands. He raised an eyebrow. "Tam, what are you doing?"

Tam blinked, then turned around on one heel and smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. "Heh. I love the strange vegetation here. My father was a botanist, so naturally, I'm fascinated by all of this."

"Oh... Right..." Taro said a little absently. Taking a look around again, he then turned to Sora, who was also looking around in wonderment. "...Well?"

Sora blinked over at him. "Well what?" he asked.

"Well, do you recognize anything? Does anything about this place strike you as familiar?" Taro asked. When Sora continued to blink cluelessly, wondering why the question was being asked, Taro sighed. "You've lost your memory, right? And I've never seen you around in Twilight Town before, so my guess is that you're from another world. If we can find your home, then maybe you will get your memory back. Or if we can find someone that knows you...well, knew you before...then maybe they can help you. Like Riku..."

Sora blinked, then took a look around again with this new perspective in mind. Finally he frowned and shook his head.

Taro sighed. "Nothing."

"Well...not quite." Sora reaffirmed. "The trees and the flowers and the plants-those remind me of home. I think. But it wasn't usually this hot, or at least this humid. And it wasn't this noisy-we didn't have the chatter of monkeys and stuff. No, we had another sound. A different one. But it was nowhere near to this. It was more quiet, more peaceful." He frowned in thought, struggling to recover a memory that was scarcely there.

"Perhaps it was the ocean waves?" Tam suggested a bit quietly.

Sora's eyes brightened. "Yes! That's it! I think it really was ocean waves! Thanks, Tam!"

Tam nodded. "It's no problem..." she said.

Taro's look grew thoughtful. "So it's most likely a tropical island..." he murmured. _Yeah. Now that I think about it, it was in the dream..._ he thought. He nodded, then frowned and looked over at Tam. "Tam, what's the damage report?"

Tam looked up, having been snapped out of her thoughts. "Hm?"

"What's the damage report for the gummi ship? What's its status?"

Tam raised an eyebrow, then frowned as she turned to look up at the damaged ship and study it. "Who died and made you captain?" she grumbled. But she sighed as she studied the ship's wounds and said finally, "Well, to be honest, it's not easy to say. I'm a gummi ship pilot, not a gummi mechanic. But, from what I can tell..."

She walked over to the ship and rested a hand on its blue side as she looked up at it. "There's parts of the hull that are burned and melted, but it's not something a little repair job can't fix. We're in no danger since none of the hits went through our shield and with enough force to pierce the cockpit. These are just scratches, battle scars. If anything it just makes the ship look bad and prove that its seen better days.

The engine and hopefully the pressurization unit and other equipment holds no damage, or at least from what I can see from here and now. To be honest, there's hardly any way of knowing for sure until we actually try to fly it again. I do know however that our ship has suffered a tragic loss."

Both boys looked over at her a bit worriedly. "Huh?" Sora asked.

Tam sighed. "The cup holder is broken."

Both of the boys nearly fell over. Taro straightened. "What? How did that happen-this is supposed to be a new ship!" he demanded.

Tam shrugged. "It beats me..." she replied.

Taro frowned. "Oh, by the way. I would probably recommend taking your hand off the ship, Tam-it's probably covered in radioactivity since it's been in space."

Tam smiled. "Thanks for your concern, Taro, but gummi repels the radioactivity of space." She grinned. "Yet another thing that I like about gummi-it's lighter than lead and twice as effective."

Taro nodded. "I see..." He blinked over at her. "You sure know a lot about gummi ships."

Tam shrugged. "Like I said, it's the manual. Anyways, now that we've done an outer survey of the ship and hopefully thrown the Heartless ships off our tail, I suggest that we get going..." she said, starting back into the ship.

"No! Wait!" Taro said. Tam stopped and sighed but never turned around to face him. "We need to explore this planet. Look...I've lost my family. But I still might be able to find my friends! They might be on this world. And..." He took a step forward. "I can't just leave...without at least trying to look for them, first."

Tam sighed and slowly turned to face him. "Taro..."

Suddenly, a flash of orange and black! A roar and a surprised yell. Taro and Tam looked over, quite alarmed, at the tiger that had pounced on Sora and was now ready to rip out the poor boy's throat.

Taro's keyblades formed in his hands, but he was unsure what to do. The tiger seemed to notice this and grin, opening his mouth...

_And he spoke_.

"Put your weak weapons away. Come any closer, I'll rip out his throat. Do nothing, I'll rip out his throat anyway. Either way, you're out of options. I recommend you go while I allow you to." The tiger said.

Taro's grip on his keyblades tightened. "Well I recommend that you let my friend go before I slice you in half." A bluff, of course. There was no chance in hell that he would make it to save Sora in time. But it was still worth a chance trying.

Then again, this merely left the tiger to laugh.

Taro glared. Sora struggled underneath the weight of the tiger, but surprisingly for a sleek, graceful cat, it was a big cat. Big, as in five to six hundred pounds big. There was no way that he was going to be able to push that tiger off.

The tiger's ears suddenly perked up, focusing solely on the chant that Tam began to murmur. The hand of the girl opened slightly, dropping two-pebbles?-off the edge of the walkway and into the soil.

And then, suddenly-

"Sora! Don't move!"

Stalks suddenly shot up around the boy, looping and flowing underneath the tiger's belly and lifting him high up into the air. The tiger screeched and roared, struggling to get free from his unwanted perch about fifteen to eighteen feet up in the air.

When the plants stopped growing, Sora sat up and stared up at the tiger and...the big pink flowers that had sprouted from the stalks?

"Sora! Move it before the tiger falls on you!" Tam ordered.

Sora nodded a bit shakily and scurried out from the cage of stalks.

Taro stared up at the tiger, then over at Tam. "T-Tam... How did you...?"

Tam shook her head. "Never mind that-let's just get going."

"No! We still have to find my friends!" Taro argued.

"Taro... They're not going to be here! If anything, that great big cat probably ate them!"

"Well then, why don't we ask him?"

"He's an overgrown kitty! Kitties _don't_ talk!"

"He just did!" Taro pointed out.

"...Oh, fine, fine. I guess you do have a point." Tam rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and turned so that her back was facing him. "If you want to make an idiot of yourself, then go on ahead-I'm not stopping you. But I guarantee that everything that comes out of its mouth is either a trick or a lie. Especially since we just interrupted his lunch."

Taro shrugged. "But you have to admit, it's probably better than nothing." He said. He turned to the tiger. "Now. Why did you attack Sora?"

"Because I was hungry. And he is a mancub." The tiger replied. "Why else?"

Taro blinked. "A mancub?" he asked.

"Yes. Unlike you and the female."

"What?! I'm a human and so is Tam!"

"But I beg to differ. Neither of you have a scent."

Taro frowned but Tam stiffened slightly. Sora seemed to notice the redhead's unease and blinked.

"Huh...?" He shook his head, figuring that now was probably not the time to question his rescuer.

Taro shook his head. "...Whatever... Anyways, have you seen three hu-er...mancubs...around here? One is a mancub female with shoulder-length red hair, one is a boy with unruly, shoulder-length brown hair, and the other one, the youngest, is a boy with shoulder-length black hair."

"Hm... I have seen the youngest, yes." The tiger replied.

Taro smiled. "Oh, really"

"...Yes. Go west until you come to the river. You should find him around there."

Author's Note-Any guesses on which world our heroes have stumbled upon? Whoever can guess gets a Heartless plushie that won't steal your heart, I swear! –glanceglace- Anyways, I will try to get the next chapter out by next Friday or at least by the end of the week. I can't really guarantee much of anything at this point because I'm juggling two fanfics, a comic, an original story, and plenty of schoolwork that practically takes up most of my time. But I shall try my best! Until then, please review! Ja ne!


	22. Dive into Darkness

Author's Note- ... -yawn- No more going to school with only two and a half hours of sleep... -sigh- Anyways. Sorry this got out a bit late. Part of the reason is that our internet ish being crappy again. Yeah, which reminds me, if it says 'meanwhile...' instead of the little dash thingies, that's because my computer is being crappy and won't let me fix it on the rough draft preview thingy. The other reason is because of so much school work. I swear I'm being over worked.. Anyways. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, so don't sue me. Now enjoy the fanfic while I go and get some sleep...

"Hm... One out of two of your engines have been completely and totally destroyed. We're not going anywhere." Vincent said.

Yukiro sighed. "So that's it? We're stuck here?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course not. We merely need a new engine. We can go to Midgar for it."

Yukiro looked over at Vincent. "Midgar? ...Do you think that it's still standing? Especially after everything it's been through?"

"People find a way to survive. If they broke away from the kingdom centuries ago, then I would think that they'd have made a name for themselves, hm?" Vincent suggested, raising an eyebrow. "Either way, more than likely the old military base has probably become a city by now that undoubtedly has gummi parts. I recommend we go there."

Yukiro nodded. "We shall do that, then." He said.

Vincent looked over at Riku. "You, however... I would recommend that you lose the jacket."

"What? Why?" Riku asked, frowning.

"While the Dark Knights have been as long since gone as the kingdom has, they have made quite a reputation for themselves. Even if they've been gone for centuries, they would still be known as a feared legend. The black jacket that you wear, that is their trademark symbol. And I'm telling you now, not all parts of Midgar are...friendly, to say the least..." he explained.

"Tch. Fine." Riku said, discarding it with a look of disgust. Underneath he wore blue jeans and a black cotton tank. "Let's get going, then."

"Agreed." Vincent said with a nod. "Yukiro?"

Yukiro crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes. Let's go."

Meanwhile, on Destiny Islands...

"Geez! How old did you say you were?" Tifa exclaimed while training.

Kiyoshi knocked away a punch. "Eleven."

Tifa sweatdropped. "And how long do you say you've been training?"

Kiyoshi caught her leg as she kicked and knocked her to the ground. "All my life." He said with a grin.

Tifa broke her fall karate-style and sat up. "What's your martial arts style?"

"Er... Kenjutsu." Kiyoshi said, glancing around.

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "Kenjutsu? No way. You fight with your fists and a staff-you don't even wear a sword."

"Karate?"

Tifa sweatdropped. "I take karate... You know, you're a really bad liar, Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he sweatdropped. "You really think so?"

"It's completely obvious." Tifa replied as Kiyoshi shoved his hands into his pockets and walked a few feet away to stare out over the ocean. The salty sea breeze toyed with his obsidian-colored hair as his blue eyes hinted worry and a bit of loneliness.

'Sakura...Taro...Hyotoko... What happened to you guys? Where are you? Could you be out...there? Or...is it possible that you all are...' Kiyoshi found himself unable to complete the thought.

What if they were dead? What if he could never get home? What would happen to him then? He was just a kid...he shouldn't be having to deal with this stuff. Why did he have to deal with all this stuff, anyway? Why couldn't he just live a normal life like everybody else?

He missed his home, he missed his family. His family was probably dead, or at least most of them. And his friends, they were scattered. The only people he knew on this strange new world were Kairi and Tifa. But they'd never seen or even heard of Twilight Town. With all of these thoughts, he suddenly felt lonelier than he'd ever been...

Tifa frowned and climbed to her feet. "Kiyoshi...? Oi, Kiyoshi..."

Kiyoshi blinked and looked up from the crystal-blue sapphire waves. "Hm?"

"There you go again..." Tifa sighed.

Kiyoshi blinked. "Go again? Doing what?" he asked.

"Zoning out. You're a good fighter, Kiyoshi, but you don't seem to concentrate on like...anything..."

Kiyoshi huffed. "S'not my problem. I'm ADD-Attention Deficit Disorder. My mom had it. And I don't have my medicine for it."

"Obviously." Tifa replied. "You should think of some sort of way to fix it."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Kiyoshi sighed. He blinked. "So where's Kairi?"

Tifa sweatdropped. "Again with the randomness!"

"What?"

"-.-; Never mind..."

Meanwhile...

It stood before her, an ominous gaping hole that belonged nowhere on this island. It shouldn't have belonged on this world, period. And yet, it did. It stood there in spite.

A sparse mist flowed lightly out of the door, covering the cavern floor. The darkness inside it was mocking. Challenging.

Angering.

She hated the door. The door had destroyed their world once, it started all of their problems.

And here it was, open again.

/"Sora! Sora! Where are you? Sora!"/

There was no answer in her dreams. Why?

She had stopped hearing Sora's voice. He had been in her dreams, and now he was gone! It had been like that for the past few days...

She had to find him! For all she knew, he could be dead or dying or worse.

She hoped that none of those were the case.

She wanted the door to be shut again, but at the same time she didn't. She knew that she would have to step through it, though. It was the only way...

She felt a bit of fear, but...wasn't that natural? Sora must have looked inside while closing it, yet he didn't let any fear interfere, he shut the door. And Riku... Riku, who had to be terrified of the darkness after all that had happened to him... He allowed himself to be locked inside, he helped. He faced that without fear, or at least without showing fear. They did what they had to do. They did their part.

Now it was her turn.

Without pausing to consider, she turned on one heel and walked out, stuffing a rolled-up letter into a bottle. She waded out into the breaking waves. Her green plaid skirt swirled around her legs as she gently released the bottle. "His voice...it's left me. This time...I'll fight." She nodded. 'Maybe if he comes back... At least he'll know. And then hopefully he won't be worried. We will be reunited... I will search for him until we are!' she thought.

As she turned and ran back to the secret place, she didn't notice the small rowboat pulling up to the dock. Without a second thought, she rushed through the tunnel and came to the edge of the door to blackness. She didn't even stop there. She ran, she leaped! ...Into the never-ending darkness...

Meanwhile...

"Kairi! Kairi, wait!" Tifa and Kiyoshi called, jumping out of the rowboat and after the red-haired girl.

"Where's she going?" Kiyoshi asked.

"Where else? She's going into the secret place!"

"Secret place? What secret place?"

"Just follow me and you'll find out!" Tifa replied, running into the tunnel. Kiyoshi did as he was told and followed. They stopped at a black, gaping hole.

"Sh-she's in there?" Kiyoshi stammered, staring into the darkness.

Tifa nodded, intimidated, but not showing it. "Yeah. It's not like she had anywhere else in here to go. She must have gone off to find Sora and Riku." She replied quietly.

"Alone?!"

Tifa paused, then shook her head. "No. Not alone." She took a couple of steps towards the door, then turned to face Kiyoshi and tried to form an encouraging smile. "Well? Whaddaya say, Kiyoshi? Are you ready to go see your sister again?"

Kiyoshi blinked, nearly caught off guard.

/"From this point on, you'll have to put your training to use..."/

Kiyoshi frowned. "..." He lowered his head slightly. 'Yeah, but...Riku...I'm scared. I'm just a little kid. How am I going to change anything anyway?'

Tifa blinked. "Kiyoshi...?"

/"You're too important to get kidnapped. I would have prevented it all if I could, but I can't. Hyotoko and Sakura are being used as bait and you're the only one that's left. He has to have the responsibility to protecting you, now. That responsibility will keep him from falling into darkness for the time being."/

Kiyoshi sighed. 'Fine, then, Riku. You saved my life, I'll risk mine to keep from getting kidnapped and save Sakura and Hyotoko. We're square.' He thought. His frown turned to a determined look as he nodded. "Yes..." he said.

"Yes?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Tifa smiled. "That's the spirit... Then don't look back...and let's go!" Tifa said, running and leaping into the door.

"Tifa!" Kiyoshi exclaimed as he stepped forward. He frowned worriedly, then nodded. "For my friends..." he said. With that, he ran...and dove into the darkness...

Author's Note- Grrr! This stupid friggin computer.. –kicks- I really hope this doesn't have a virus on it. -.-; Anyways, I recently saw the Black Cauldron for the first time, but I still can't manage to get Jungle Book. Anywho...please review! I can't promise the next chapter being out by Friday, but I'll try my best to get it out by the end of the week. I'm already working on the rough draft. Ja ne!


	23. Starflower Gates and Hyperactive Toddler...

Author's Note-Sorry, everybody, for the wait, but I've been really, really busy lately with a severe case of writer's block. Waiting for the next chapter might take about another week also since I have like...three projects in school (while working just about overtime on my homework in general), a book to read for karate class (that I just started -.-;) so that I can get promoted to yellow belt this week, a comic, two rpgs, and two or three stories, including this one. –sigh- I really am overworked... But anyways, I just saw Jungle Book for the first time since I was probably five, and now I'm starting to be revived with ideas for Dark Rain, thankfully. The writers block is beginning to dissipate, so hopefully I'm gonna write a whole lot to the rough draft when I have the time. Anywho, I don't own Kingdom Hearts (as usual...-sigh- -.-;), so do not sue me. Now, enough with my rants and excuses and on with the chapter.

"Princess..." The voice echoed in the darkness. "Princess..."

Blue eyes opened slowly. She was lying on something...a platform? A platform surrounded in black. She sat up. "H-hello...?" she called. "Where am I...?"

Lying on both sides of her was Tifa and Kiyoshi. "Kiyoshi! Tifa!" she exclaimed. When she got no answer, she said as she stood up, "They're both unconscious..." She looked around. "Hello? Hello! Is anybody there? Hello!" she called.

All that she got in reply was an echo. She took a few steps forward when she suddenly came to a dead stop as she felt a chill whip around her.

Suddenly, a pair of amber eyes! One, no, two, no, three! They seemed to appear all around her. She gasped as the eyes seemed to burn into her and she took a step back.

That seemed to be a signal for the shadows. They all leapt forward at once, claws bared. The redhead shrieked, putting her arms up instinctively in front of her face and shutting her eyes.

But the claws never came.

The redhead opened her eyes again and slowly lowered her arms. Standing before her was a ghostly apparition. She glowed in this darkness with an almost-divine light, and looked in her early twenties, if not in her late teens. Her long black hair was up in a high ponytail. Her outfit consisted of black silk pants and a midnight, sleeveless, blue tunic, tied at the waist with a black belt. When she turned her dark blue eyes were revealed. A thin, gold band, a tiara, circled her head.

In her hand was a double-sided sword, blue, silver, and black. One blade shone silver and the other black, and on the blue handle shone a picture of a heart of gold. The pale woman smiled gently. "Another princess trying to defeat the shadows? How will you do so...without a weapon?" she asked, gently amused.

The redhead lowered her head. "I went to look for someone... I guess I didn't really think it all the way through, huh?"

"Princess." The woman said.

The redhead looked up. "Huh?"

"I have been looking for you." The woman said. The redhead blinked.

"What? What do you mean that you have been...looking for me...?"

The woman tilted her head. "It is just as I say. I have been searching...for the seventh princess of heart, and that is you, is it not?" she said. The redhead nodded.

The woman shook her head. "Don't ever think you're without a weapon. As a princess of heart, your heart, and the light of your heart, piercing through the eternal darkness is your weapon, for that is the strongest force ever known."

The redhead blinked, then nodded. "Yes... I guess you're right."

"And yet, it may not be enough... At least, at the beginning of the journey..." The woman said, almost to herself as an afterthought. She then nodded and held out her weapon. "Here. Take it. You'll need it." She said.

The redhead blinked. "What is it...?" she asked, looking up at the woman.

"This is the bladed heartstaff. It can only be used by princesses and by those with a pure heart. Half of it is created by darkness, while the other half of it is created by light, therefore giving it very destructive power. Swear that you won't ever allow your heart to be corrupted by darkness, or else the heartstaff will be as well." The woman explained.

The redhead looked up at the woman. "But...don't you need it?"

The woman shook her head, smiling. "No. This was once my journey, but no longer. This is now your fight. Here. Take it." She repeated.

The redhead blinked, then nodded as she took the heartstaff. "I swear on my title as the seventh princess of heart that I won't ever let the heartstaff be corrupted, nor my own heart." She said.

The woman smiled and nodded, then turned her back to the redhead. "It is done." She said. With that, she held out her hands to the darkness. There was a ripple, then the darkness opened up as a hole, revealing a doorway of light that cast over the redhead and the waking Tifa and Kiyoshi. The woman turned to the three children. "You can go on ahead to Traverse Town now. Hurry, for this door will not be open long."

"But what about you? Who are you?" Kairi, the redhead, asked.

The woman smiled. "I will join you all someday, perhaps. But as I said before, this is now your fight. Not mine. I am merely a ghost from beyond. Now get going. Go find your prince."

The redhead blinked, then nodded as she smiled softly. "I will." She said. "Thank you." With that, she, Tifa, and Kiyoshi passed into the door that quickly closed behind them. Into the realm of light...

-----

"Lord Silence! Lord Silence!" Came a boy's yell, echoing in the dark chamber's corridor.

Silence turned to see the tousled, brown-haired boy suddenly burst into the room, almost out of breath. "...Hyotoko. What is it?" he asked.

"I-it's Sakura's body! Something strange is happening to it! Please, come look!" Hyotoko explained quickly.

That seemed to raise the wise man's interests. He nodded and followed the boy out of the chamber and down the corridor. Taking the lifts up, they eventually made it up to one of the laboratories in one of the many towers where Sakura's body laid. They walked over to the table that she had been lying on and stopped in surprise.

Instead of looking as if she were sleeping peacefully like she had previously been doing, she was _floating_. Floating about a foot up above the table and glowing a royal blue, a glow that seemed to spread and light up even the darkest shadows in the room, causing Silence to grimace slightly. Sakura's blue eyes were blank yet wide open, as if she were in shock over nothing. Her clothes and red hair swirled around her.

Silence shot a glance at the young, surprised, and confused brunette. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"Nothing! I didn't touch anything, I swear." Hyotoko said truthfully. "I just came up here to see if there had been any changes in her condition. There was none, so I turned to leave, and well...this happened."

"...Come here, boy." Silence said. Hyotoko, confused, obediently walked over to Silence. The older man immediately grabbed the boy's shoulders into a tight grip and stared into his eyes. "The eyes are the windows to your soul. Are you being truthful?"

Hyotoko's brown eyes suddenly became blank as Silence looked into his mind. Through Hyotoko's eyes, his memories, he could see that the boy's story matched up. He _had_ only come in to check on Sakura. And to do one more thing...

"I'll do whatever it takes to save you, Sakura. I promise..."

So, he had made a promise. Honest loyalty, hmph. It would only be so easy to manipulate later...

Silence released the boy's shoulders, breaking the young teen from his trance. Hyotoko blinked, confused. "H-huh? W-what? What just...happened...?" the brunette asked.

"...Nothing. You go run along and train, Hyotoko. Rest assured-I'll find out what is making Sakura react this way. Mark my words..." Silence replied, looking back at the glowing, floating girl, the amber glow of his eye narrowing a bit.

Hyotoko nodded. He didn't want to be treated so much like a child, but he wasn't going to argue. Silence seemed to be the only one that knew what was needed to be done in order to help Sakura. And just that was plenty reason enough not to question his orders, so the brunette boy left to go train.

-----

Tam wiped the sweat off her brow, a frown upon her face as she looked around, then fell wearily onto the grass. "Well, I told you so. There _are_ no humans here. The damn tiger had been lying the whole frickin' time." She said.

Taro sighed as he fell back to lean against a tree. It was hot, and the heat itself was beginning to convince even him to give up his search. "Maybe you're right..." he admitted glumly.

Sora knelt down next to the river, cupping his hands and lifting them up to drink the cool water. "C'mon you guys, don't give up. Drink some water-it'll probably make you feel better." He encouraged.

"Ugh. Sora, that's disgusting! Who knows what kind of germs might be in there. Especially considering that we're right in the middle of a jungle." Tam scolded.

Sora blinked. "But I think I've done it before and didn't get sick." He said.

"Well that's a surprise. Honestly, you should try to be more sanitary." Tam said, rolling her eyes as she turned to study a couple of plants.

Taro blinked. "Say Tam. What was that that you did back there? You know, on the tiger?"

"..." Tam didn't take her eyes away from the plant that she was currently studying. "My father...was a pretty good fighter, and also a former thief. His weapon was plant magic. He would feed his spirit energy into a plant, making it grow quickly and in an instant, a deadly weapon. He was teaching me how to do the same before the Heartless came along and destroyed the planet, so I'm still practicing at it." She explained.

"...Oh." Taro said. He blinked, dwelling on this for a moment, then sweatdropped. "Did you get anything from your mom?"

Tam blinked, them smiled. "Well, my hairstyle, for one. And I also learned how to use a sword like her, though my godfather taught me a bit, too."

"Then why don't you carry a sword?" Taro asked, curious.

Tam shrugged. "I guess I just figure that I don't really need one, what with my plant power and all. And also, I had one, but it got lost sometime around when the Heartless came along.

"Oh. Alright, just wonder-"

"Ack!" Sora suddenly yelped. Both Tam and Taro looked over just in time to see Sora disappear up and into the canopy. "Hey, let go of me! Put me down!" Sora yelled. He suddenly hung out of the canopy upside-down.

"Sora?!" Tam and Taro both cried as they jumped up.

"Sora, what's wrong? What is it?" Taro demanded.

"What does it look like?! Something has me by the ankle and it's hanging me upside-down!" Sora cried.

"Look!" Tam suddenly exclaimed, pointed up and into its branches. "Monkeys!"

Taro sweatdropped and looked over at her slowly. "...Hyperactive toddlers?" he asked.

Tam shook her head. "No, real monkeys! Look!"

Taro looked up and had to do a double-take. There _were_ monkeys-_real_ monkeys, filling the trees. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed them all earlier.

He cupped his hands around his mouth so that all of them could hear. "...Oi!" he called. "Put our friend down!" Then he muttered, "I can't believe it. First I'm talking to a tiger and now to a bunch of monkeys. What next, elephants?"

Meanwhile the monkeys were mocking the two humans on the ground with whatever they could think of until finally replying, "No way! This mancub has got an invitation from King Louie!"

Tam held up a hand, a seed between each finger. "Put him down. _Now._" She said in a ticked-off voice as she glared near-death up at the monkeys.

"Sorry, mancub female, but orders are orders. You don't scare us!" One of the monkeys called down to her.

"Then prepared to be scared!" Tam shot back.

"Don't have the time for that. Too bad. Bye!" The monkeys called back, swinging off and tossing Sora from monkey to monkey.

"Follow them!" Taro said, starting after them.

"Way ahead of you, Taro." Tam said, following.

They ran along the riverside, both hoping that their friend Sora would be okay...

Author's Note-Er...I pretty much explained everything that's going on currently in the above note, but as I said, hopefully I can get the next chapter up by at least next week. Don't worry, this has not been abandoned! So please review, and I'll see what I can do. (No rhyming intended...heh...) Ja ne!


	24. And the Doors Flew Open

Author's Note-Bleh. Too much school ish not healthy. But that's beside the point. Anywho, yes, I would like to congratulate DemonSurfer on guessing who Tam's parents are. Her character is the daughter of one of my friends (Akayso) and Kurama from one of our old rpgs. -gives DemonSurfer a shadow heartless plushie- Yeah, maybe if anyone else can guess one of the parents to the other original characters in this fanfic, more plushies might be handed out. Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, so please read and review!

"The Heartless again, huh? Why should I help them out again? What's in it for me?" the flaming, blue god asked, crossing his arms.

"The power to overthrow Zeus, for one. When used to the full potential, not even the gods themselves can withstand the power of the Heartless, and that includes the mighty Zeus. Not to mention that we're trying to open the gate to a new kingdom that has been closed for centuries. Open the gates and it becomes populated. It becomes populated, people die. People die there, you get to extend your domain. Extending your domain, and you grow in power and I don't care if you're a god or a mortal-naturally I know that you'll desire power." Chaos said with a smirk. "The task is simple: Capture the two keyblade wielders-the one from last year and the double wielder-and just hand them over to us. That is all that you need to do."

"Hm...capture them, huh?" the god said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.

"...Yes..."

"...I suppose I'll see what I can do. But I'll have to think it over..."

"...We'll be anxiously waiting for your reply. Just call or cause chaos when you can supply for us an answer..." Chaos said, grinning. With that, he turned and dissolved into a black mist.

-----

The dark, smog-filled city reflected morbidly on Yukiro's slightly wide, crystal blue eyes that seemed to stand out in the gray city. "This...is Midgar...?" he asked in disbelief.

Vincent looked down at him. "You're surprised...?" he asked.

"No... Well, I mean, yeah, actually... Midgar...it wasn't like this. What happened to this place...?" Yukiro asked, shaking his head.

"Your father happened, and then your brother. This city had been ravaged by war already, and then when the kingdom was sealed, I assume that Midgar was thrown into complete and utter chaos. At least, that's my theory, considering that I was asleep during the kingdom's final chapter. Don't you remember...?"

Yukiro shook his head again. "No... The last time I actually went to Midgar, I was only nine. That was five-hundred and ten years ago..."

Riku stepped up to stand beside them, his head turning from side to side as if scanning the view of the city. "Well I would add my sentiments, but as you so kindly continue to remind me, I can't really see and be sincere. Sorry." He said with a touch of faint sarcasm. "However, I can tell you all to watch your backs-there's not a lot of light in this city."

"Light...?" Vincent repeated in a faint mutter, looking over at the boy. _Light...the Heart's Eye, the power to see the light of people's souls... Only the royals and the knights, both light and dark, had that power. Who is this kid? ..._What_ is he...?_ he wondered.

"...A wise man once said that if you watch your back, you end up getting attacked from the front, so I recommend we watch both." Yukiro said, not taking any notice in the White Knight's confusion. Vincent and Riku nodded in agreement.

"True enough-none of us want to be mugged, I think." Vincent said quietly. With his normal, right hand, he pointed to a flickering neon sign. "Over there. I believe we'll be able to find another engine in that shop."

The three outsiders made their way to the shop.

-----

"So which areas of Midgar are we covering, Barret?" Biggs asked, glancing up at the man through obsidian bangs.

Barret Wallace, a big man with a gun for a right arm, stared down at the map, then shook his head and looked up at the girl with reddish-brownish hair that was typing on the computer nearby. "Jessie, where have they become most concentrated in?"

Jessie paused as she pulled up the information, then said, "Sectors Seven, Nine, Eight, Five, and Two. At least, for now." She reported.

"Damn! That means we can't spread out to take those monsters out. There's not enough of us." Barret growled, hitting the table with his left, normal fist.

"You, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and myself. Five people, five sectors. That seems to be enough to fight these monsters." The cat said, flicking his flaming tail as he laid in his basket in the corner.

"...Good point, Red. Awright. We each take-" Barret was interrupted by the bell at the door. "Damn. Customers. Hang on..." he sighed, walking out of the back room and up to the counter. He raised an eyebrow at these three suspicious characters. Faintly he noticed Red padding up to the counter behind him.

The customers consisted of three guys, two with white hair, one with black hair. One of the boys was blind, and one of the others had a bladed staff strapped to his back. The black-haired one was eyeing several of the newer models of guns. "What do ya need?" Barret asked.

"A gummi engine." The boy with the longer of the white hair replied away?" Barret asked.

The boy crossed his arms and shook his head. "...No. Stopping a nightmare. An abomination." He said.

Barret studied the boy for a moment, a bit confused by this response, then shrugged. "Awright, sure." He said. He eyed their clothes for a moment. "You from outta town?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Then you know how much it's gonna cost ya, right?"

The boy considered for a moment. "I have a good idea, yeah. Don't worry, we have enough money." He said.

"Awright, anything else?" Barret asked.

Pause. Then the black-haired guy nodded. "One of those guns up there."

"Sorry, but I'll have to see some sort of ID and a permit. I don't just hand out guns to minors-the crime rate around here is bad enough, you know?"

"..." The guy reached up to hold up the pendant that hung around his neck. It was a platinum crown, which snapped open with some sort of profile ID and permit, revealing that he was in fact twenty-seven (A/N: As for the necklace mainly the crown thingy, think Sora's necklace, only platinum.) "I've got my own money for it..." Vincent-for that was apparently his name-dropped some money on the counter. Barret frowned.

"What is it?" he asked, picking up a coin and studying it.

"...Is there a problem? It's gil..." Vincent replied, raising an eyebrow.

"...Never heard of it..." Barret started.

"...I have." Red replied, getting up onto his hind legs to lean against the glass counter and study the money. "It's an archaic currency." He explained. He nodded-a very human gesture done by a great, big, red cat. "It is genuine gil. How you got your hands on it, I do not know, but gil went out of use three hundred years ago. We currently use munny instead."

"Munny..." Vincent repeated with a frown. "Then you won't take this? If it's been out of use for three hundred years though, the antiquity must be high of value in itself."

"Well... That is true, I suppose. Sell it to a collector around here and one coin should rank around 1,500 munny." Red considered. "Gil is nearly as rare as gold itself, these days.And this is genuine. Hm..."

"You kids ain't from Midgar, are you? Cosmo Canyon?" Barret asked.

Vincent and the boy with the longer silver hair seemed to exchange glances, then shrug. "Sure, why not?" the silver-haired boy asked. The blind boy was turned away from them, almost as if he were keeping watch, as impossible for a blind boy to keep watch was.

The cat looked up at the big man. "Well? What do you think, Barret?"

"Well..." Barret considered, then nodded. "Awright, sure. It's a de-"

"They're here." The blind boy said suddenly, getting into fighting stance.

"Shit!" the boy with the longer, white hair (who Barret and Red assumed was probably their leader) exclaimed, unstrapping the bladed staff from his back and positioning it threateningly in front of him. Barret and Red took this as warning as well, Red getting into fighting stance and Barret tossing one of the newer gun models to Vincent, who loaded it with his own bullets, twirled it, and pointed at the door, a grim look set upon his face. Barret raised his gun arm at the door as well.

Darkness had already begun to seep under the door like a black mist, flowing and curling in some parts like smoke. A head passed by the window outside.

Suddenly the door flew open!

...And all hell broke loose...

-----

Tam sighed as they trudged through the foliage. They had lost the bunch of monkeys at least twenty minutes ago and since then, had been wandering around a bit aimlessly, no idea where to go next.

"Stupid monkeys..." Tam said, sighing and wiping the sweat off her brow.

Taro glanced over at her. "Yeah..." He said as he looked back up into the canopy. "If you see any monkeys this time, just holler." He said.

"AKA if they pick me up and start tossing me through the trees between them as if I were a piece of fruit? Oh, don't worry, Taro. I'll probably be sure to do a hell of a lot more than that." Tam said, raising an eyebrow. Taro shook his head and sighed.

"Hopefully. Sora wasn't able to do anything and he defeated Ansem, or at least, _supposedly_ he did..." he said.

"Exactly. _Supposedly_. Don't base a person's strength on a _supposedly_ did, Taro, because that only means that they didn't do it." Tam said. Taro sighed again and shrugged. "Hey, cheer up. I think I can see the trees ending just up ahead, which is probably a good thing." Tam said, hiking just up ahead of him.

Taro frowned as he noticed some leaves flutter to the ground from the trees, but shrugged it off and followed.

Eventually the two teens made it to the top of a large hill. There was a bit of a field before them, and then the forest started once more, this time going downhill. They were quite high up, for they got a good view of the forest and where it ended. And rising in the middle of their view, a large, decorated formation of stone. It looked like the ruins of a building but it was hard to be sure from where they were.

"...I'm thinking we should try avoiding that..." Tam said. Taro looked over at her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because...I just do." Tam said a bit uneasily.

Taro smiled slightly and even chuckled a bit, despite the heat and the current situation that they were in. Tam glared over at him.

"What's so funny?! What are you laughing at?!" she demanded.

"Tam... Don't tell me that you're afraid of ghosts and stuff." Taro snickered.

"Hey, hey! Don't get me started on ghosts. Ghosts are very real. But that's beside the point. That's not what I'm getting at. I'm thinking something more...physical. Living. Like headhunters or something."

"Headhunters? There's not going to be any headhunters living there." Taro assured her.

"Well, you never know." Tam shot back.

"Yeah? Well I have feeling that Sora's there. Alive, with his head. So let's go." Taro said, starting off.

"Taro..." Tam whined, starting after the blonde. She sighed. "Note to self. No, note I should remember, because I already made that note to myself a long time ago: Never travel with boys." She muttered. But she continued on with minor complaint anyways, hoping that nothing would appear to take their heads.

Or their hearts.

Author's Note-Meh... Sorry about the wait. Nine weeks exams are coming up and those who are in highschool should know how much fun that is. -rolls eyes- Anywho, um...I don't have anything really much to say for the time being, so please just review. Ja ne!


	25. Operation: Metsubushi!

Author's Note- Everybody, I am sooo sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Basically it's a long and complicated story about _why_ it took so long. -.-; But the point is that the chapter is finally out and it's nice and decently written and long, right? Right... Um... I don't own Kingdom Hearts. And most of the ninja information comes from an autobiography called 'The Ninja and Their Secret Fighting Art.' The ninja techniques (or at least most of them) are not fiction. But I don't own that book, either. So stop sending your lawyers after me, 'cause after the fifth one, I've started to booby trap the front yard and I'm still waiting for that order of steel bear traps (AKA now called 'lawyer traps') to come in and I have an entire stack of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comics right here to read to them and drive them insane while they are stuck in the traps I have currently set up already. I don't really recommend trying it. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Kiyoshi awoke to the sound of arguing in the next room. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked around. He was lying in a blue room on a blue bed. Wait.. A bed? When did he...?

"How did I get here?" he wondered to himself.

A knot of worry and slight fear suddenly formed in his stomach. What if that man that had kidnapped Sakura and Hyotoko had found and kidnapped him, too?! The man did say that he was going to kidnap him, didn't he? Looking around, he didn't see Tifa and Kairi anywhere either. What had happened to them?!

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Oh well, first things first. As a ninja in training, he had to use his sneaky-sneakiness that he had practiced at for so long to figure out where he was, where his friends were, and what was going on. Slowly and carefully, he stepped off the bed, freezing, holding his breath as the floorboard protested with a slight creak.

The people in the other room didn't seem to hear because the argument seemed to be persisting. Kiyoshi breathed a sigh of relief and got into a low crouching position that gave him complete control of his body weight. A ninja position. He slowly shifted his balance and then his body weight to his forward leg until it supported his entire body. Then he pulled his rear leg forward and in toward his supporting leg, the ankles scarcely brushing each other as the moving leg went forward and out with the toes pointing slightly inward. With his body weight on his stationary leg, the outside edge of his moving foot was used as a feeler, practically probing the floor, then eased to the floorboards, outer edge first. He shifted the weight gently onto this foot, being able to withdraw it quickly in case the floor began to creak. The groping foot then became the next support foot as he persisted. His hands moved lightly like tentacles, as if he were an octopus feeling its way along the ocean floor. At least, that's what it was _supposed_ to seem like. Kiyoshi mainly just kept having the feeling that he was going to screw it all up any minute and get caught. It was the Nuki Ashi, a sweeping step, and he used it to sneak successfully over to the blue wooden door. Quietly he pressed his ear up against the door.

"He needs help...blind...nothing...Silence's power..." An unfamiliar voice said. Kiyoshi frowned. He could only hear bits and pieces. He would never learn anything from this.

_Should I..dare to...?_ he wondered. He bit his lip with a frown, thinking over the very few options he had, then nodded. With this new thought decided, he reached down and turned the knob slowly, then cracked the door open.

With one blue eye, he peeked inside, not going as far as to dare make any noise. He saw a tall man with blond, spiky, wild hair with a large sword strapped to his back. But that hardly caught his eye, despite that the man reminded him somehow of one of his uncle's coworkers a little bit.

What surprised him was the man in black leather. He looked almost like Mr. Takani! ...Or at least like what Hyotoko would look like in about ten years...

His hair was just like Hyotoko's, and so was his weapon, a big sword (Hyotoko would usually just use hand-to-hand combat, but he would use his huge sword that was given to him by his father when things got serious.) "_Hy-Hyotoko?!_" he whispered.

The men seemed to have heard that. The arguing seemed to cease as both of them turned to stare at him and the door. Kiyoshi's blue eyes widened and he gasped, backing away and stumbling slightly. As he heard footsteps approaching the door, his eyes darted around the room and he spied two other doors, one right next to the window and the other off to his right, which he guessed led off into a hall. Thinking quickly, he made up his mind and bolted off to the left, to the door next to the window.

He flung it open and ran onto a blue balcony, preparing to jump off, the thought of being caught by minions of his sister's and his friend's kidnapper (that master of monsters!) motivating him. If they caught him...

Kiyoshi closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. _No, no, don't think what would happen. Just run. Run so that you won't have to think what would happen, so that whatever would happen can't,_ He thought. Suddenly...

A hand! A hand shot out and grabbed the back of his blue t-shirt. "Hold on, kid." A voice ordered.

"No! Let me go! Lemme go! If you don't..." Kiyoshi cried, struggling. Struggling, but the grip held tight.

"Then what?" the voice questioned, slightly amused though a bit sardonic.

Kiyoshi paused, then his hand dove into his pocket. "Operation: Metsubushi!" he yelled, presenting a metsubushi. Good thing his sister had made tons of them to get away from trouble whenever she needed to, which was obviously quite often.

Good thing he had snuck some of them from her room, too.

"Metsu-wha-?!"

Too late for his captor to finish his sentence, for it was at that time that Kiyoshi had thrown down the smoke bomb. The once small, innocent ball exploded at once into a combination of dirt, ash, and ground pepper.

Apparently looks can be deceiving.

Taking advantage of the cover of the eye-stinging, smoky cloud, he managed to break free of his captor's grasp. He landed on the ground, turned, and ran through the door and out into the open of a large square. "Great. The last thing I need is to be out in the open!" he growled anxiously, rubbing his eyes a little and looking around.

He glanced around, then ran behind the stairs and into an alleyway. He looked down the dark alley, not really wanting to trek any deeper into the darkness. But he had to, and figured that if not given a choice, he could at least be ready and alert and armed. With this thought in mind, he reached behind him to grab his staff and grabbed air. His eyes widened.

His staff! He must have left his staff back in the room! Now all he had were his smoke bombs and his ninjutsu (but only the hand-to-hand combat part of it) to defend himself with. Oh well. His ninjutsu-trained limbs were all he needed, or at least he hoped.

Kiyoshi was never the strongest of the group, nor the bravest. Being the youngest of the group that consisted of his sister and his two best, childhood friends, one of them being his cousin (with Kiyoshi as eleven, Sakura and Hyotoko being thirteen, and Taro now being sixteen), he never really had to. There was always somebody there for him, someone to back him up. But now...

Now it was time for him to grow up. Being ADD, his curiosity and short-attention span tended to get him into trouble, but he had always been known to be quiet and shy in school and in crowds, always sticking to his best friends. The kids had picked on him for that. However, that didn't last long when his friends and his sister came to his aid and stood up for him. But his friends weren't there anymore, not even his own sister, and he was all on his own. He persisted to ignore the fact that he had dreaded though, that he had hoped he wouldn't have to remind himself of. He knew somehow that after all of this, he could no longer go back to being a kid again.

Cautiously, he crept down the alleyway, to the faintly glowing, decorated, colorful, neon sign that read 'Third District.' And then, this time with a bit more caution, at least, he pushed the doors open, preparing-just in case-for the very worst...

Because, as his Aunt Tsuki would always say, things can always get worse...

A lot worse...

-----

Taro peered through the trees with a frown. Tam sighed. "Taro, we're not lost, are we?"

"Er..." Taro started, not wanting to admit that yes, they really were lost. So he did what was the bright thing to do (in his opinion) and substituted an 'I don't know' with an 'er...'

Tam glanced over at the clueless blonde. One glance at him was enough reason for her to sigh and roll her eyes. "We're lost. Great. Stuck in the green hell. I mean, hey, don't get me wrong: with all these plants and stuff, normally I wouldn't really mind. But this heat..." She sighed, wiping the sweat off her brow with her hand.

Taro let out a tired and frustrated sigh. "I don't get it. I don't understand. It all looked so easy from the brow of the hill. Just go in one straight line..." he said, his voice trailing off.

This brought a small smile to the girl's face as she chuckled a little bit. "_Brow_ of the hill? Did you just say _brow_ instead of _top_? Who uses the terminology of _brow_ anymore?" She asked, continuing to chuckle. She may have been hot and miserable, but then, if you really thought about it, that can sometimes be known as a contributing factor to loopiness. That and also the fact that other than complaining, they apparently didn't really have anything else to talk about.

The loopiness was contagious, of course, setting into both of the teenagers like laughing gas. Taro smiled and in spite of everything, chuckled a little as well. "Well, my aunt used to talk like that a lot. And not to mention that _you_ just did. Three times." He pointed out.

Tam laughed. "Well, I guess you've got a point. Alright, nobody says the word 'brow' anymo- Ack!" She suddenly fell face-forward.

Taro stopped, turning to her. "Tam?" he asked, his laughter fading away and a slight note of concern faintly touching his voice. "You okay?"

Tam let out a slight growl and pushed herself up off the ground so that her face no longer lay in the fertile soil as she grumbled to herself. "Yeah, sure. I've got a mouthful of dirt, but other than that, I'm fine, Taro. Just fine." She grumped sarcastically. And then she looked up.

Taro was holding out a hand to help her, a concerned frown crossing over his features. The expression, that sincere look of concern on his face was almost made him look...dare she say...cute? It made her blush slightly. Wait. No. She was _not_ blushing. She couldn't be blushing, no way! But just in case if she was...

Tam quickly and carefully diverted her emerald-green eyes from his amber ones that were tinged with worry. '_Amber eyes... It's an odd color for his _eyes_, but they somehow work with him in a strange sort of way... Must be 'cause it matches with the hair. Huh..._ she thought. As soon as that thought processed, though, that only made her blush even more.

_Get a hold of yourself, Tam! Now's not the time to be flirting! Got to focus on the matters at hand..._ she thought, shutting her eyes and shaking her head. She ignored the offered hand and got up on her own, looking by her foot with a bit of annoyance to see what it was that she had tripped over.

Taro's frown grew confused, but he merely shrugged it off, muttering something about girls and how he'd never understand them, and then looked over to check out what Tam was staring at. It was a stone. A stone decorated with numerous odd carvings-most likely the writing of this strange, new world. In fact, now that he looked around, he could see that the ground was almost covered in this ornate rubble. He almost wondered how he ever could have missed it-it was everywhere!

But then again, he realized now that the vegitation covered just about everything, including the rubble, almost making them hidden landmines. Traps. Trip over one of those rocks and hit your head hard enough on another rock nearby and you had a pretty good chance of dying.

If this was the base of the monkeys, then they sure were some smart monkeys-especially if this had all been done intentionally. _Then again, they can talk, too_, Taro concluded. _Monkeys are not supposed to be able to talk._ Huh. Maybe they were outer space monkeys or maybe Invader Zim monkeys. He would have to look into it later...or at _least _ask Hyotoko about it when he found him again. Yeah, Hyotoko always was the smartest of the group. If anybody knew, it had to be him. Taro never had the patience to do research.

Maybe that would explain his low language (English, to some)/literature grade in school.

He looked up. The canopy was actually just starting to thin out, going from solid to a couple of actual light-filled cracks running through the denseness. Of course, this was still rare. With a sigh, he shook his head. "Right... Let's just keep going this way. Follow the rubble and see where it leads."

Tam glanced up at him, -.-;'ing. "Your leadship skills are lacking, Napoleon. You haven't planned for this ahead of time whatsoever, have you?" she asked in a blunt voice.

Taro grinned an almost-silly grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "Now what makes you say that?" He joked, acting innocent. At the serious look that Tam gave him, he sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, I'm jokin. No, I haven't planned ahead. I mean, c'mon, I've never been here before; I don't know what to expect. I'm making all of this up as I go, all right? Geez..." Taro said, rolling his eyes.

"I suppose it's all worked so far..." Tam admitted a bit grudgingly.

"Exactly. Now c'mon. Let's g-" He and Tam suddenly stopped, staring up at the crumbling ruins of a big stone building (which they figured what may have been once a temple) that now suddenly loomed high up over them. Tam glanced over at Taro.

"Well, Mr. Instantaneous. What now?" she asked, a slight arching of the brow.

"Now it's time to infiltrate. We go in, get Sora, if he's there, and then basically run like hell." Taro said.

"From the monkeys?" Tam asked.

Taro sweatdropped. "No, Tam. No. From the headhunters." He said. Tam gave him a cool glare.

"Hmph." She said, striding in.

"Tam? Hey! Wait! Tam! Wait for me..!" Taro said, running after her. Both disappeared into the shadows of long, ancient halls of the temple...

Author's Note- -sweatdrops- Great. I just realized that almost _half_ the characters are teenagers with raging hormones (don't worry, this is gonna stay PG13, lol...) This is gonna be fun to write. -rolls her eyes- 'Specially now that I'm beginning to see a little bit of...dare I say, flirting?...between Taro and Tam... Anyways, I've already started writing a lot more to this. Turns out that one of the reasons that I took so long with updating was because that I had forgotten that I had jumped from Kiyoshi to Taro and the others and I didn't have the latest part of the rough draft with me at the time, so I already at the very least have the next part with Kiyoshi in it, apparently. And I'm workin on a Riku part. And I can probably guarantee that the next chapter ish gonna involve chaos with the monkeys. Oh, and loopy means 'crazy' and 'insane from lack of sleep,' in case anybody was wondering. By the way, I'm also debating something. I'm writing a Kingdom Hearts/Everworld crossover called 'Eyes that Cannot See' at the same time and I'm debating on whether or not to start posting it on here. What do you think? Oh well. Anyways, please review and I shall hopefully be able to get a chapter out very soonish (Halloween special, lol.) So, ja ne!


	26. Unhand Me, You Damn Dirty Apes!

Author's Note-Sorry, I tried to get it out before Halloween and I just couldn't make it. -sigh- But I didn't get the chapter out ridiculously late, which I suppose is an improvement. I dunno, life's been getting really complicated lately. A real mess. But I write on, and so hopefully I won't get the next chapter out late. I'm still debating on whether to put up 'Eyes That Cannot See', though... Hm... By the way, I don't know why I these lawyers keep coming. I already said that I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I've caught five in my bear traps already and they just keep coming. Are they not listening to me? –sigh- Oh well. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews so far, they're greatly appreciated. So now that I've to the next chapter out, read and review!

Complete and utter pandemonium. That was the only real way to describe it. It was a small shop. A small shop with a huge battle taking place.

Riku 'looked' up from the battle to see a figure standing in the doorway, a small, faint, stream of light floating in the dark shadow of the man. _It has to be him. He's the one that's probably causing it, the one controlling the Heartless. Got to go after him,_ he thought. He made his way through the fighters and the monsters, praying that he wouldn't get hit by one of the flying bullets.

He suddenly felt a slight sting in his waist, ignored it, felt something brush against his arm, ignored it, pulled his staff back, and swung. The metal staff connected to the guy's head and the man dropped to the floor like a brick. The small shadows, the Heartless, began to close in around Riku. He spun to face them. Impossible. It would be impossible to have victory without injury with the puny little staff that he carried.

One on one? Yeah. Two on one? Maybe. Six to eight on one? ...No chance in hell...

Still, he got into stance, ready to fight to the death if that was what it was ready to come down to, when a blade swooped though the air, slicing all of the Heartless around him in a shining arc of light.

"Can't take my eyes off you for a second, can I, kid?" Yukiro said, sounding much like an older brother.

"Tch. Whatever." Riku said.

Now with ease, the others quickly finished off the rest of the Heartless. With their leader knocked unconscious, they had ceased to continue multiplying. Barret dragged the unconscious man inside and slammed the door behind them.

"'Should've known that Rufus was the one leading the Heartless in Midgar..." He gruffed, dropping the blonde man.

It was then that Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie burst into the room. "Barret? Red? Are you guys okay?" Wedge asked.

Barret glared at them. "Yeah. Now what the hell took you all so long?!" he demanded.

"Sorry, Barret. The door got stuck again. I told you that we really need to get that thing fixed." Jessie sighed. She looked over at Rufus's limp figure and stared. "...What's Rufus doing passed out on our floor...?" she asked.

"Apparently he's the one controlling the Heartless." Red spoke up.

Yukiro and Vincent exchanged glances, nodding once.

"What is it?" Red asked.

"He is a Dark Knight." Vincent said.

Red seemed to smile a perceptive cat smile, as if he knew exactly who they were from the very start and what was going on. But then, maybe he did. Who knew? "The Dark Knights disappeared five hundred years ago. As did the White Knights and the Kingdom Gaia, Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom of the Cosmos. Rufus is only twenty-nine."

"Dark Knights are non-existent-they are not truly alive. The body is not real but only mere illusion." Yukiro said.

"Sure as hell was heavier than just an illusion." Barret grumbled.

"Maybe he's a descendant?" Biggs suggested.

"Wait a minute, what's all this about Dark Knights?" Wedge asked. "I mean, one minute we're standing here talking about Rufus. Then the next minute, we're talking about this."

"That's what the hell I would like to know!" Barret agreed. "I am completely lost now."

Yukiro and Vincent again exchanged glances. Pause. Finally a sigh from Yukiro. "Well, you see..." he started to explain.

However, all of this was growing fainter and fainter to Riku's keener ears. As the seconds ticked by, he started to feel increasingly detached. Lightheaded. He managed to ignore it, to push it away, until his third eye-or Heart's Eye, as it was known to some, apparently-began to blur.

_Dammit!_ he thought. _What's wrong with me?! I only feel a dull ache in my waist and on my ar- Wait._ In a strangely calm and quiet voice, he said to white-haired boy, "Yukiro."

"Hm?" Yukiro asked, glancing over at the younger boy.

"Am I wounded at all?"

Yukiro studied him for a minute. Suddenly-

"Shit! Riku, you-"

At that moment, everything suddenly became darkness once more...

-----

With caution, Kiyoshi crept to the door and the glowing, neon sign. Quietly he pushed open the two large doors, the doors protesting slightly with an old, used, low groan. However, the boy was silent as he crossed the threshold into what was apparently the Third District. He walked past the closed, lit window to what he assumed must have been a house or a shop. As he stepped down the stairs slowly, he looked around, gazing at the colorful neon lights that reminded him so much of the city streets at home.

_But,_ he reminded himself, _this isn't home._

It definitely wasn't home. No, this place was completely empty, or so it seemed. Had it been daylight with a couple of people walking around, it may have been a cozy little town. Maybe. But with unfamiliar structures looming up as shadows in the darkness like monsters and giants, the setting was nowhere next to comfortable. Quite the contrary, actually.

The silence was so eerie. Kiyoshi could've sworn that it made even his quiet ninja movements sound loud. The lit-up fountain in the corner seemed lifeless, broken, still. A broken pipe wire sparked like a light in Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. Kiyoshi felt a slight chill that he couldn't just shake off run up his spine.

_Why are you so afraid?! You're a ninja, for godsakes! People should be afraid of you!_ A part of himself demanded. "Ninja in training," he corrected, saying it to himself in a soft mutter.

Why were there no people in this town? What had happened to all of them? Could they possibly all be-

"Ah!" Kiyoshi yelped as a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He spun on his heel to face this new foe, automatically getting into fighting stance. What he saw was a girl that was dressed much like what was known by a few of his friends in his classes as a 'preppy.'

She wore a green top and short khaki shorts, and tied around her neck was a yellow scarf. Not that it was cold or anything. _Huh,_ Kiyoshi thought. _Must be for decoration or something._ Of course, as a ninja, he knew that he had to expect the unexpected. Observing the girl a bit more, he could see in the dark night that her hair was short and black, and that she had a smile on her face that looked naturally mischievous. Yeah. She _looked_ harmless, but was she _really_? Kiyoshi knew almost better than anyone than to judge by appearances. His mom and one of his uncles were both tiny-no more than 5'2 and almost scrawny, judging by first glance, and yet both were highly skilled in the art of the sword. His mother is where Sakura had learned her swordsmanship from, after all.

"So, you're the kid. Cloud and Squall have been looking all over for you, you know." The girl said, undaunted and even somewhat amused at Kiyoshi's readiness to fight.

The names 'Cloud' and 'Squall' nearly threw Kiyoshi off stride for a moment, but then he decided he could think about that later as he shook his head.

"Now, c'mon. Let's get you back to the others." The girl said, starting towards him.

Kiyoshi stood firmly in stance. "No way!" he shot back.

The girl sighed. "C'mon... Don't make me drag you..." she whined.

"As if I would let you? I'm not as helpless as you may think I am." Kiyoshi shot back.

"Heh. Oh really?"

"Yeah. I'm trained in the art of ninjutsu."

This only made the girl's grin grow wider. "Ninjutsu, huh?"

Kiyoshi frowned a bit more, his concern growing more and more by the second. He then responded a bit hesitantly, "Yeah. That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Though I hate to tell you this, Mr. Ninja, but your stance is a little off. You have to turn your left foot at least ten degrees to your right if you want to make any kind of effective attack. And your stance is just a little too wide... Hm... Yeah, I could critique more, but this isn't the time or the place for that right now." The girl said smugly, her grin turning into a slight smirk.

Kiyoshi looked down, then fixed his stance with a bit of embarrassment. He frowned up at the girl again, but this time more with confusion. "How do you...know all of this...?" he questioned.

The girl grinned at him once again. "Surprise, surprise, kid. Because I'm a ninja, too."

-----

"Stupid monkeys! Put me down! Put! Me! Down!" Sora cried, kicking and flailing whenever he could get a limb free-an arm, a leg, anything. The monkeys had tossed him until he ended up in a temple. They tossed him up and up, higher and higher. Sora caught a glimpse of the stone floor and all the things on it growing smaller and smaller as he was thrown up into the air, too high!

One monkey caught him before gravity could by grabbing the chain to his necklace, choking him for a minute, then grabbed his hood so that he wouldn't die. Sora coughed weakly, trying to regain his breath and grabbing at his collar so as not to be strangled.

"Do you want to be put down now, mancub?" the monkey teased.

Sora glanced down at the ground below and the color drained from his face. "N-no..." he half whispered, half squeaked. The monkey threw back his head and laughed. Of course, monkey see, monkey do, so naturally, the entire temple was soon filled with laughter.

"I like this kid. He can hang around with us." The monkey said, tossing Sora over to another monkey, stealing Sora's necklace in the process and draping it around his own neck.

"Thanks, but can we do it without the literal hanging part?!" Sora demanded. "And give me back my necklace!"

"Alright, alright, no more hanging," said the monkey that was currently holding him. He then grinned and let go.

Sora fell. He fell, farther, faster. His eyes widened in fear, he could almost see himself splatting on the stone floor-

A hand suddenly grabbed the back of his hoodie. Another monkey hand. Sora looked around, then back down. His feet were scarcely an inch from the floor. The brunette swallowed hard, then looked around again. The monkey released him, and he landed, barely even noticing the distance.

The boy focused on the throne that was before him and made of stone, as everything else was in this place, apparently, and the live monkey sitting on it. The monkey on the throne grinned.

"Hey there, mancub. I'm King Louie, and this is my castle." He said.

"Yeah? Well what's the big idea? Tossin' me around like that..." Sora demanded.

"We were just playin' around." The monkey whose name seemed to be King Louie said innocently and casually.

"Playing around?! You just about got me killed!" Sora exclaimed incredulously.

The monkey king ignored that comment and said, "I need your help. In exchange, I will give you your necklace back and I'll have you taken back to your friends. Also, I'll give you...this." The monkey said, presenting a three-point card.

A three-point card that had a small shimmering heart at the top.

Sora reached out for the card, for some reason drawn to it, but the monkey snatched it away. "Uh, uh, uh!" King Louie said.

"What is it that you want?" Sora asked.

The monkey king grinned. "To learn how to make fire."

Author's Note-Um...not much to put here, I pretty much said everything above. I shall try to have the next chapter out soonish, though. Hopefully in less than a week. So please review, it'll motivate me a lot more and get me to writing more faster. Ja ne!


	27. There's a Reasonable Explanation for Eve...

Author's Note-Sorry this chapter took so long. I've had manymuch short stories and projects to do for school. –sigh- But recently I put up a status thingy on my profile which I intend to update regularly, so if in any need for reference, hopefully that will help a little bit. Anyways, here's the chapter.

Sora blinked. "Making fire? That's easy..." He said, forming his keyblade. While he didn't have his life memories, he could still remember the spells.

He pointed the keyblade at a pile of dry twig. "Fi-"

"Stop!" a voice yelled/roared. Sora nearly jumped and looked around. A sleek, black, big cat leapt agilely down from the tall stone wall and to the floor. Sora instinctively took a small step back, his last encounter with a cat of this size not very well forgotten.

King Louie just looked amused. "Well," he drawled. "Bagheera, what are you doing here?"

"For one thing, I'm looking for Mowgli. While this boy doesn't seem to be him," the cat gave a nod towards Sora but kept his eyes on the monkey king, "it's a good thing I came when I did. Fire in monkey hands-it would end up with the entire jungle aflame! You and your subjects would end up killing us all!"

"Relax, Bagheera. We can handle a little something like fire." King Louie said nonchalantly.

"No you can not!" Bagheera argued. "Are you _trying_ to-"

"Sora!"A voice called from off to the side.

Sora looked over at Taro and Tam, who were running over. "Taro! Tam!" he called back.

"More mancubs in the jungle?! What is going on here?!" Bagheera demanded, clearly looking at least a little annoyed.

Taro and Tam stopped in their tracks as they laid their eyes on the large black cat. Taro formed his keyblades and Tam's right hand twitched slightly, a few seeds suddenly appearing between her fingers as they automatically identified the feline as a threat. They weren't taking any more chances after their last encounter.

There was a long moment of silence, everyone staring at the two armed teens. Taro motioned slightly for Sora to come over. Sora glanced at both Bagheera and King Louie, and, figuring that both sides were probably at a stalemate anyway, nodded and started over to his friends when suddenly-

"Hey, Bagheera! You found Mowgli, right?" A voice shouted off from the side. Sora stopped halfway to his friends and frowned, looking around.

"...Huh...?" he asked, looking confused.

A huge gray bear suddenly tromped into view.

The humans stared, blinking in surprise. There was another long moment of silence, which Taro finally broke. His keyblades disappeared and he threw up his hands theatrically. "Well," he said, "that proves it. Yep. This planet is the biggest and the WEIRDEST effin' zoo in the whole entire universe."

-----

Yukiro looked up as the door opened and Vincent slipped in. They had long-since explained who they were and what they were doing there, what they were doing in general. Vincent was taking care of Riku in another room. Yukiro was taking a shift guarding Rufus-who was still unconscious and now tied to a chair-while the others were discussing what to do in the other room.

Vincent sighed. Yukiro pushed himself off the wall hehad been leaning against, closing his eyes for a moment, turning to the man, then opening them again.

"How is he?" Yukiro asked quietly.

"No change. He suffered from a bullet wound and a deep gash going all down his arm. There's almost the chance of him dying from blood loss, but we caught it in time." Vincent reported.

"He won't die. The bullet wound was in his waist, not his heart. External injury won't kill him. There's the slim chance of death from blood loss, but the only true way to kill a Dark Knight is to affect the heart." Yukiro sneered.

"...What makes you so sure that he's a Dark Knight?" Vincent asked. He didn't disagree, of course. He had spotted it right off. But he was curious about his prince's reasoning.

"Are you blind?" Yukiro asked a bit scathingly, not looking at him. "You bandaged him-you had to have seen all the scars. Don't forget, he didn't even realize he was injured until he had lost enough blood to make him feel faint. And he has the Heart's Eye. Both you and I know that only knights and nobles are supposed to have that."

Pause. Then, "I suppose you're right. But something perplexes me: why would he be working on the side of light if he is a Dark Knight?"

Yukiro blinked, then shrugged and sighed as he leaned against the wall again, crossing his arms. "From what I understand, he helped my mo-Queen Ceridwen bring me back to this realm. Queen Ceridwen sent both of us off to defeat _him_. She claimed that we needed each other's help to be able to do it."

"So your mother trusts him. I don't see why she does, but I'm not about to doubt her judgment. Queen Ceridwen always did make the best decisions." Vincent pointed out.

"Yeah, except for when she-" Yukiro stopped himself. "Look. Not that I want to dig up things that were meant to be buried, but it's a little late for that now. It's Queen Ceridwen's 'great decisions' that got us into this situation in the first place. Because of her great judgment, Princess Seika is dead and my brother is still alive. How does any of that make sense?! She made no effort to stop the king's experiments with the darkness, not even when my brother started to get dragged in. She let it continue and look at what's happened. Look at our kingdom, look at our people! All Heartless, all darkness. How can you speak of her so highly after what happened to your comrades, your fellow knights?!" he snapped.

Vincent shook his head, half in disgust, half in disbelief. "Why are you blaming this all on your mother? It's your father's fault and you know it."

"Hardly. Nobody ever told me anything." Yukiro shot back acidly.

"But you do know. You didn't go running out of the castle every night without reason." Vincent said in a matter-of-factly voice.

Yukiro froze in surprise and looked up at Vincent slowly. "How did you know?" he asked.

"Roxie told me." Vincent said simply.

Yukiro blinked, his anger beginning to burn out to be replaced by weariness and nostalgia. "Oh. I see." He sighed and shook his head, asking a deep breath. "Well...my apologies...for my behavior. It was...improper...the way I acted." He said slowly and carefully. Obviously a recitation.

Vincent smiled. "Just...take it easy for a little while. One could care less about the etiquette recitations-there's no one to impress here. All that matters is your decisions. That's whatreally makes a good ruler. Try to remember that." He said with a nod. As he started to leave, he stopped and said, "Oh, by the way. Anything can kill a DarkKnight just as anything can kill a human. However, when the injury affects the heart, that's when they can feel pain. Just thought you should know." With that, he left, leaving the prince to his own nostalgic thoughts.

-----

"So Taro nor Riku have arrived here?" Kiyoshi asked a bit glumly. He, the two guys and the girl from earlier, a new guy and girl, plus Tifa and Kairi, who were now awake, were all together in the house he had passed by in the Third District. Kiyoshi subconsciously stuck closer to Yuffie than any of the newcomers, feeling more at ease around here, especially knowing now that she was a fellow ninja. Not only that, but Yuffie reminded him of one of the friends of his father's. Kiyoshi looked around a bit nervously. He hated being around crowds, so many strangers at one time. One of the reasons he had a bit of difficulty relaxing in school.

"Taro? We've heard of Riku, but who's Taro?" Yuffie asked.

"Taro is my older cousin. He has amber eyes and blond, spiky hair," he lifted his hair slightly as a weak imitation of Taro's hair, "and he just turned sixteen not long ago. Have you seen him?"

"Kiyoshi, are you sure that it wasn't Sora that you really saw? You did say that you had been in a gummi ship accident earlier." The new girl named Aerith asked. "It may have scrambled your memories a little bit."

Kiyoshi glared up at her. "He's my cousin. How could I get him-who I'd known for eleven years-mixed up with a kid that I haven't even met before?!"

Cloud shrugged.

"Kid's got a point." Cid commented.

"But what if he had met Sora and forgot all about it?" Aerith argued. "What weapons did Taro use to fight against these monsters with?"

"Well... I'm sure he started fighting them off with his kodachis... But then he got some kind of new weapon: Two sharp, giant keys-"

"Two?" Leon repeated, the conversation really beginning to look like it was catching his interest.

Kiyoshi nodded firmly. "That's right. Two. Not one. Two. One silver and one black." He confirmed.

"Hm... One silver and one black..." Leon considered thoughtfully. "The second one sounds like either the Pumpkinhead or the Oblivion."

"What did the keychains on his keys look like?" Yuffie asked Kiyoshi.

"Er...a black crown and a star. If that's of any help..." Kiyoshi replied.

"It is. You just confirmed that it really was Sora." Leon replied, nodding.

Kiyoshi glared. "I told you, it's not Sora!"

"It has to be. How else would have the keychain that _I_ gave Sora?! The Oathkeeper?!" Kairi exclaimed, looking a bit shocked.

"I don't know, but I know it wasn't Sora. It was Taro. You can ask Riku, if we ever find him again." Kiyoshi said impatiently.

"Well until I see this Taro, I'm gonna be pretty confident that it was Sora." Yuffie said.

"It wasn't Sora! Why don't you guys believe me?!" Kiyoshi yelled. He glared at them all, then shook his head furiously. "You know what? Forget you. I'm going to go look for my friends and my family. On my own. See ya." He snapped, stalking out of the house.

"Kiyoshi!" Tifa started.

"Kiyoshi, wait!" Kairi seconded.

All that they got in reply was the slamming of the door.

-----

With quiet caution, Hyotoko quietly crept into Silence's dark cavern. Silence was going to be gone for a little while-he was still trying to figure out what was wrong with Sakura. Hyotoko knew that he should be training-knew it, and yet his curiosity was getting the best of him. He trusted Silence, but the man had to be wrong.

Hyotoko didn't think that his best friends would just forget about him and replace him like that-especially after what had happened back home. Silence had to be wrong, he had to be.

Only one way to be sure, though...

He walked over to where Silence's orb had been, but it was no longer an orb. Instead, a mere pool of shining, crystal-clear water filled a stone bowl. He frowned. There had to be a way to make it become some sort of liquid crystal ball or whatever. Everything had some sort of scientific explanation, he knew that. He wasn't about to believe that it worked because of some magic. I mean, really, as if.

"Hm..." he wondered. Maybe a spoken command...?

"Show me Kiyoshi." He spoke up, his voice clear. There was a ripple in the pool for a moment, then the water suddenly swirled up into an orb. The image of Kiyoshi with at least seven or eight people together in a room appeared in the orb. Hyotoko grinned.

_I knew there was a way_, he thought a bit smugly.

"You know what?" he heard Kiyoshi snap. "Forget you. I'm going to go look for my friends and my family. On my own. See ya."

"He's looking for us...?" Hyotoko muttered. He smiled. At least one of his friends still cared. Yeah, Sakura and Kiyoshi always had been known to be fiercely loyal. He then touched the surface of the water, thinking, _Hey, I think I may actually have the hang of this thing, now..._

He then said, "Take me to Kiyoshi Insei."

With those five words spoken...he vanished...

Author's Note-Bwee! A burst of inspiration! That's always a good sign. It means I'm writing more. Either way, I'll be sure to keep you updated on my profile status thingy. Anyways, please review and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Ja ne!


	28. Meetings, Entreaties, and Betrayal

Author's Note-Blasted upgrades..what do they _really_ do, anyway? …Anyways, I would have had this chapter out sooner, except for the fact that I couldn't log on over the past two days. But I finally managed to I get this chappie out, and I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now here's the chapter!

"Stupid idiots… They don't understand…" Kiyoshi grumbled, walking up the walkway behind the fountainand sitting down, pulling his knees up to his chest. He knew he shouldn't havebeen so mad. But for some reason, he was. He was growing frustrated. And not just frustrated, but lonely as well. And nostalgic. He wanted to see something or someone familiar again. He wanted to go home, to see his friends, to see his family.

Oh no. Now tears were threatening to fall. "This isn't fair. Why'd it have to happen to us? I just wanna go home. I just wanna see my friends and mysister again. I want Mom and Dad…" he sniffled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something black. Kiyoshi slowly stood up, wary. "Tifa…?" he asked nervously to the darkness. "Kairi…?"

Suddenly, glowing eyes everywhere! Kiyoshi spun, only to see that he was surrounded by Heartless. He rapidly grabbed his staff that he had regained at the house and got into fighting stance, all in one fluid motion. "An ambush…" he whispered.

_"Don't be stupid! Normal weapons don't work against these guys! I don't want to have to baby-"_

_"Taro, she's my sister! And Hyotoko is my friend-I'm not letting you fight that man alone!"_

Taro. He and Taro had argued about that. Kiyoshi could still remember. Though now it seemed like a hundred years ago instead of a couple days. He knewthat Taro was probably right then, though he didn't want to listen. Unfortunately, what Taro had said probably applied to now, too.

_But what else can I do?!_ Kiyoshi mentally demanded. At that moment, the monsters leaped! Kiyoshi spun, fighting the Heartless off the best he could. Suddenly he tripped. He landed hard on the stone ground and winced, looking up at the Heartless. His staff rolled a foot or two away from his hand. He gasped and shut his eyes as a dozen Heartless lunged at him, claws outstretched.

There was a sudden shout and Kiyoshi cracked an eye open. In place of the Heartless, a lone, dark figure now stood before him, black Heartless blood staining the black coat, making it look even blacker. Kiyoshi froze.

"Insei Kiyoshi, eleven years old, here from Twilight Town." The figure said creepily. Kiyoshi's eyes widened and he reached for his staff, but the figure snatched it up first. Kiyoshi frowned. The figure turned, grinning. "And probably one of the biggest klutzes I have ever known. Here." He said, holding the staff out to the boy, the end pointed at him.

Blue eyes widened at familiar brown ones. Kiyoshi took the end of the staff with his left hand and let the person pull him up. "Hyotoko!" he exclaimed.

Hyotoko grinned and pulled back his hood. "In the flesh, kid."

"I'm so glad you're okay! Where's Sakura? And Taro? Where's Tar-ow!" Kiyoshi winced as he flexed his wrist, a pain shooting up his arm.

Hyotoko raised an eyebrow and took the boy's right forearm. The wrist was beginning to swell. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Looks like you sprained your wrist. You klutz." He said.

Kiyoshi's expression was a cross between a glare and pout with a bit of pain thrown in. "I'm not a klutz, Hyotoko." He sulked.

Hyotoko grinned and shrugged. "Whatever. C'mon. Let's go." He said, turning and starting off.

Kiyoshi blinked. "Go? Go where?" He asked curiously.

Hyotoko stopped, his back to his friend. "…Well, they have a restaurant around here, don't they?" he asked in a tone one would use when asking whether or not the sky was up to an idiot.

Kiyoshi blinked. "Yeah. Some kind of café or whatever in the First District, I think. But what about my wrist?" he asked.

"That's exactly why we're going. Now hurry up. The longer we leave that wrist untreated, the more it's gonna hurt." Hyotoko said impatiently.

Kiyoshi blinked, then nodded and followed. Hyotoko pushed open two large doors-to the First District, he guessed-and passed through. Kiyoshi continued to follow and Hyotoko turned to him. "First District?" the brunette asked.

Kiyoshi shrugged. "How should I know? I've only been awake in this town for a couple of hours." He said.

Hyotoko blinked, then shrugged. "Oh well. Doesn't matter. There's a restaurant right over there." He said, pointing to the restaurant near item shop. The two boys walked over there. "Sit down." Hyotoko said. "Be right back.

Kiyoshi blinked and sat down, still favoring his right wrist. Hyotoko walked over to the open window. The man, most likely the manager, stared down at the boy a bit irritated. "What do you want, kid? Don't you know we're closing?" he sighed/groaned.

"I need a brown paper bag and a bowl of vinegar." Hyotoko said, ignoring the man's question. "Oh, and two orange sodas."

The man's eyes narrowed at the boy. "What do you want with a bowlful of vinegar?" he asked suspiciously.

"My friend sprained his wrist. He needs help." Hyotoko said, nodding back at his black-haired friend.

"Then he needs ice."

"No, he needs brown paper and vinegar." Hyotoko shot back. The man paused. "Just do it!" Hyotoko snapped.

The man rolled his eyes and shook his head as he got the required items. Hyotoko fished some munny out of his pockets. When the man returned, Hyotoko paid him (purposely a few munny coins short of the real fee) and took the stuff over to the table that Kiyoshi was sitting at. Kiyoshi looked on curiously as Hyotoko ripped the paper bag into strips.

"What is that for?" The younger boy asked, tilting his head a bit.

Hyotoko dipped and soaked the strips in the vinegar, not really replying. "Here. Give me your wrist." He ordered, holding out his hand.

Kiyoshi held out his wrist. Hyotoko took it, pulled back the sleeve, and began wrapping the strips around the already-swollen wrist. Kiyoshi's nose wrinkled.

"This stinks. Can't we just use ice?" he complained.

"This reduces the swelling. Good thing my mom was a doctor. I used to get sprains all the time when I sparred with my dad. This is an old-fashioned remedy."

"Well it still stinks." Kiyoshi whined.

"Well it still works, so quit whining." Hyotoko shot back. "And keep it elevated-more fluid will rush up and get into it if you don't."

Kiyoshi pouted but the complaining stopped, at least. He blinked at the brunette, the pout fading away to a worried frown. "So, Hyotoko, what happened to Taro? And my sister? Where's my sister? What happened to you guys?" he asked.

Hyotoko frowned. "It's not lookin real good, Kiyoshi. It really isn't." He saidquietly as he finished wrapping and took a sip of his soda.

Kiyoshi's brown furrowed even more, his blue eyes growing ever the more worried. "Hyotoko, what happened? Please tell me." He demanded.

Hyotoko stared into his soda and said in a dull, depressed voice, "Well. To start, Taro is against us."

Kiyoshi's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Look. There's something wrong with Sakura. She's…I don't know what she's got wrong with her. She's lost her heart, I think. Although that's scientifically impossible… But…more or less, she's somewhere along the lines of comatose… She was doing some weird floaty glowy thing earlier. Maybe it was due to some kind of radiation exposure…but I don't know. I'm not really sure about much of anything right now. Either way, it was some really freaky stuff."

"So she's in a coma?!" Kiyoshi exclaimed.

"Something like that, yeah." Hyotoko's sad and worried look brightened a little bit. "But…there's some guys that are willing to help her. They're called the Dark Knights or the Non-Existent or something like that. They promise that they can wake Sakura up if I help them." He said.

Kiyoshi frowned. "But…what do they want you to do? What is it that they're after?" he asked.

Hyotoko now frowned. "Ya know, I'm not really sure. I think they're looking for some kind of fragments or whatever. They did want yours and Taro's help, I know that much. But…Taro isn't going to help us. He's found new friends." He added glumly.

Kiyoshi frowned. "Did you ask him? Face to face?"

"Face to face." Hyotoko confirmed with a nod. "Look, c'mon with me. You and me are Sakura's only hope left." He urged, an almost pleading look on his face.

Kiyoshi bit his lip and frowned. "Well… Who are you working for? Anybody we know?" he asked.

"No, not really. There's Silence, Machi, Chaos, Tamara, and our leader, Ansem."

Kiyoshi nearly choked on his soda. "Ansem?! As in the _same_ Ansem Sora defeated last year?!"

"What?" Hyotoko asked.

"Ansem was one who started this whole thing! The Heartless, the worlds disappearing, all of it! He used Riku and then possessed him. I'll bet it's his fault that Riku went blind, too, because he wasn't that way before. Hyotoko, if you're workin for Ansem, you've gotta stop! Otherwise you're gonna end up like Riku." Kiyoshi said.

Hyotoko blinked, then said, "…I'm sure this is a completely different Ansem…" But now his face was uneasy and unsure, his browneyes were troubled.

"And what if it's not? Now many Ansems do you know that work with the Heartless, Hyotoko? You're smart. Tell me." Kiyoshi demanded. Hyotoko jumped up.

"Why don't you stop being a coward, Kiyoshi? How about facing reality for change? We're just a couple average teenagers from Twilight Town. We have no superhero powers, nothing from comic books. We have martial arts restrained by normal human limitations. But these guys-they can help us! They're strong and experienced and much more technologically advanced than we are. They're from another world." Hyotoko snapped.

"None of that's gonna matter if you're evil! Besides, Taro's got keyblades and fights really well with them!" Kiyoshi argued.

"Who cares about Taro?!" Hyotoko shouted angrily. "He's nothing but a backstabber! A traitor! He doesn't care about us! I asked him myself to help and he said he wouldn't!"

"Taro isn't like that! I saw him last! I told him that you and Sakura had been kidnapped and Riku was hurt! I told him what happened and he looked madder than I've ever seen him before! He fought tons of Heartless to find and save us! All of us! Please, Hyotoko, you've got tobelieve me!"

Hyotoko's angry look seemed to die to be replaced by a sad look. "I wish I could, Kiyoshi. I really do." He said, the normal, quiet tone returning to his voice. "But Sakura needs help, and I'm going to do everything I can in my power to get her back her heart. Taro isn't gonna help. I was hoping that you would, but it seems that you've turned your back on us as well." He said.

"Hyotoko, I didn't mean that! What I meant was-"

Hyotoko held up a hand to silence the younger boy. "Don't try to lie, Kiyoshi. It'll only raise contempt and lower my opinion of you. But if you ever do think about changing your mind and helping us out, just call. Or come to Hollow Bastion. I'll be there. _We'll_ be there." He said, beginning to walk off. "Oh, and keep that wrist elevated. Don't use your right hand tomorrow. That would only make it worse." He called back.

Kiyoshi jumped up. "Hyotoko! Hyotoko, wait!" he yelled, running after the brunette.

Hyotoko ignored Kiyoshi's cries but suddenly stopped. Not to say anything more to the boy, of course, but because a hand was now suddenly grabbing the back of his jacket. He turned around and looked up to see a man that practically looked like an older version of himself, a diagonal scar running between the eyes.

"Well, well," the man said in a quiet voice. "Who do we have here?"

Author's Note-Rain ish nice.. –grin- But anyways, I'm already working on the next chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to write quite a bit now that school's out for the rest of the week. Anyways, Happy Thanksgiving and please review! Ja ne!


	29. Half Paid by a Monkey

Author's Note-Heh, I guess it's like my mom said: feast or famine. My writing had been going a bit slow recently, but currently I've been writing a lot, riding out the inspiration burst I've gotten. And yes, Hyotoko is a bit of a twit, lol. But so long as it helps Sakura, right? Or at least that's what he thinks… Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter…

Tam blinked, then shrugged. "Eh, I've seen weirder…" she said. Taro stared at her.

"Where?!" he asked.

Tam looked caught off guard for a moment, as if she hadn't realized at first that she had spoken aloud, then recovered. "Highschool." She replied quickly.

Taro nodded in agreement. "Ah." He said.

The bear frowned. "Who are these kids? They're not Mowgli…"

"Smart, ain't he?" Taro asked, raising an eyebrow.

The bear glared at the blonde. "Now listen here, you little-"

"Maybe we should ask them what they're doing here." The cat interrupted, stopping a real fight from breaking out.

"We're looking for a keyhole." Tam said before anybody could stop her. "We're trying to stop the Heartless from destroying this world."

The bear's face lit up. "You're getting rid of the Heartless? Well that's great! Bagheera, you hear that? They're getting rid of the Heart-"

"I heard them, Baloo, I heard them. I'm standing right here." Bagheera said.

Taro blinked and looked over at Tam and Sora questionably. "So what? They're on our side?" he asked.

"More to the point, who exactly is 'they?'" Tam wondered, eyeing the cat and the bear, then all of the monkeys around them.

"Either way, those monkeys have my necklace and...something else…" Sora said.

Tam and Taro blinked over at him. "Something else?" Taro asked.

"Like what?" Tam questioned.

"Like…I dunno what it is." Sora admitted, shaking his head. "But I have this feeling. It's important somehow. I think it has something to do with my former life. My past."

"You mean this little thing?" King Louie asked skeptically, holding up the card.

Sora nodded. "That's exactly what I mean." he replied seriously.

Taro glanced over at the card, then back at Sora. "But what good can a card do you?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. But it may trigger some sort of memory or something. At this point, I'm about ready to try anything…" Sora said.

Taro turned to the monkey king. "You hear that? We need to borrow that card." He said.

King Louie held a hand out. "Now hold it, hold it, hold it. Do ya think I'm just gonna give it away for free?" he asked.

"They're not going to teach you how to make fire." Bagheera said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Then we make a new deal." King Louie said.

Sora blinked. "Like what?" he asked.

"Get those Heartless out of my jungle. And get rid of Shere Khan." The monkey king replied.

"King Louie, you can't be serious. These three are only mancubs. You can't possibly expect them to-" Bagheera was cut off by Taro.

"Shere Khan? Who's this Shere Khan guy?" the blonde asked.

"You don't know who Shere Khan is?" Baloo asked in disbelief.

"-.-; We're a little foreign." Taro replied.

"Just a little bit." Tam seconded, nodding in agreement.

"Shere Khan is the ruthless tiger of this jungle who likes to hunt down and eat mancubs." Bagheera explained.

"That guy?" Tam asked, dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand. "We took care of that guy a long way back. No biggie."

"You took care of Shere Khan?!" Bagheera exclaimed.

"That's what I just said, isn't it? Anyway, that's one half of the deal taken care of already. Hand over the card or the necklace, Monkey-Boy." Tam said, holding her hand out expectantly. Disgruntled, the thieving monkey from earlier tossed her the necklace. Smirking, Tam caught it and tossed it to Sora.

Sora caught the necklace and put it back on, smiling over at Tam gratefully. "So to get the card, all we have to do is get rid of the Heartless, right?"

"You got it." King Louie replied.

"No problem. That's why we're here anyway." Tam said.

Taro nodded. "That and to find my friends." He added.

"Then let's get going!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hey, you kids! I'll go with you!" Baloo said.

Taro sweatdropped. "…You're kidding, right?" he asked.

"Of course not. I can be your guide to get you to where you need to go in this jungle. And besides, I still have to find Mowgli." Baloo retorted.

"I should go, too, then." Bagheera sighed, rolling his eyes a bit, hardly even wanting to think about the trouble they might would get into if the poor mancubs went out into the forest alone with him. They'd probably be lost forever at the least, eaten at the worst.

Tam rolled her eyes. "Well, now that we've got our party of freaks organized, _now_ let's get going." She said, starting off. She then stopped, looking back at King Louie over her shoulder. "Have your payment ready. We'll be back soon." She said, then started off again. The others blinked and followed, leaving the grumbling king and subjects.

Taro suddenly sneezed. Tam glanced over at him, rolling her eyes at him. "Don't tell me you're allergic to cats or bears or whatever." She said.

"No… At least, I don't think so…" Taro replied, frowning.

"Then somebody's talking about you." Tam said with a nod.

Taro blinked, then sighed. "Maybe it's one of the friends that I'll never see again." He said glumly.

Tam frowned. "Hey now, cheer up. You're never going to find them with an attitude like that." She said.

Taro paused, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. My friends are only lost. You don't have anyone though, do you?" he asked.

Tam shrugged. "Well, at least I'm not completely alone. I have Sora. And I have you. And I'll admit, it's better than nobody, I guess." She said. "I mean, it could've been worse. I could be dead by now, but I'm not. You know?"

Taro nodded. "I guess you've just gotta be grateful for what you have." He mused.

Tam nodded. "I guess so…" she said.

"Hey, you guys! C'mon!" Sora called, waving back at the two. Tam and Taro looked around, noticing for the first time that they had fallen behind.

"Okay, coming, Sora!" Tam called back. She smiled over at Taro. "Let's hurry it up. We're falling behind." She said before running to catch up with the brunette and the two animals. Taro blinked, then smiled, shook his head, and followed.

Author's Note-Wow, a whole chapter out of just all this. Is it just me, or does it sound like Tam should be in some kind of syndicate or mafia or whatever, lol? Apparently she knows what she's doing…at least more so than the guys… -smiles and sweatdrops- But this chapter was a bit short because I'm planning a longer one next. Don't worry, DemonSurfer, your wish will soon be granted (but I'm not gonna give anything away.) So just stick around, please review, and I shall have the next chapter out soonish. (And that's a promise that's not hard to keep because now I pretty much just have to type it.) If anything slows me down, it will be endof course tests. And even then, I'll trynot o let it effect my home life andauthor lifetoo much.Well, ja ne!


	30. The Seeds of Insanity

Author's Note-Sorry for taking so long, guys. Exams were more stressful and harder than I thought they would be. But thank god we have a break now. Four days of actually getting a full night's sleep will really make you feel a whole lot better. We got snow! Unfortunately, it has been only a few flakes. But here's to everybody that's waited patiently for the next chapter! –gives everybody a snowflake- Huh..I was sure though that this chapter would be longer, though.. -shrug- Ah well. Don't worry, while I haven't been doing a lot of typing (to my story, anyways) I have been doing a lot of writing by hand with my rough draft. So I've just got to type most of this up, and hopefully I can post a whole lot faster. Anyways, I've been rambling too much, and I know that you're all impatient, so here's the chapter! (Demonsurfer, your requests for character torture has been answered, by the way, so here it is…)

The sky was clear and a pale blue. The trees swayed in the nipping breeze. Mainland. He was on the mainland. Riku pulled his jacket tighter around him to keep out the wind that poked at the exposed skin on his hands on cheeks. He looked around. He was at his grandparents' house. He remembered how he, Sora, and Kairi would come down there with his mom during Labor Day weekend. He and his friends would explore and play in the woods that surrounded the house all day long…

But then an earthshaking realization hit him. This wasn't all just figures of light. This…this was real…and…he could actually see again! And what was more, he was home!

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Riku shouted, running past the old, run-down, blue pickup truck and inside the house. Wait. It should be about noon right now, and if it wasn't Sunday, his grandfather should still be working in the drugstore in town. But his grandmother should still be home.

"Grandma!" he called. "Grandma!"

"Up here, dear." And old yet gentle voice called from upstairs. Riku ran upstairs and into the guest room where his grandmother was making up the bed.

His grandmother looked up and straightened. She then placed her hands on her hips and smiled, tilting her head a bit. "Well, how about giving your old grandma a hug instead of just standing there?" she said.

Riku froze for a few minutes more, then ran up to his grandma and hugged her. He was so glad. So glad that he was home. Someone must have defeated the Non-Existent. That's why he must be home. But the memories and the lessons he had learned during his journey had not disappeared. He would never take anything for granted again. Ever.

"Easy, kiddo. Wanna be careful of my arthritis, you know?" his grandmother said, chuckling.

Riku nodded and backed off. "It's been so long… Just look at you. Last time I saw you, you were just a little boy. Now you're growing to become a handsome young man." His grandmother said. Riku nodded slowly. "How's your mother been lately?"

Riku grimaced, thinking about home life. Thinking about how his father would abuse both him and his mother… No. Just stop. Just stop there. He was back. This was supposed to be happy. He wasn't going to think of unhappy memories right now, just save that for later.

Seeing this, his grandmother shook her head. "Oh… Nevermind. Your grandfather will be happy. Why don't you go into town and surprise him?"

Riku nodded and smiled. "Alright. I'll see you later, Gran." He said, walking out. And thus he began the walk down the dirt road that would eventually take him into town, about half an hour's walk away. Ten minutes into his walk, and he had come into view of the old abandoned chapel that was at the top of the hill. He blinked, then frowned. He thought he may have seen someone up there, someone that he knew. But in an instant, the person was gone. He paused, seeming to be deciding on something. After a moment's hesitation, though, he decided to go and check it out.

He hiked up the hill and stopped for a moment to stare up at the chapel. It was your standard country chapel, nothing really all that special. The wooden walls were still white (though you could see that the paint was starting to chip where the elements could get at it.) The walls were decorated with stained-glass windows that depicted various biblical scenes. And of course, one couldn't forget the tiny bell tower that rose up from the front, housing an old brass bell that probably hadn't been used in decades.

The white-haired boy slowly, cautiously pushed one of the doors open (which had been remarkably unlocked) and walked in. The musty smell, the thick layer of dust on both the pews and the alter-all hinted the vacancy of the chapel that had lasted for many years. But that's what it was. Vacant. He looked around and couldn't even find a single living soul in the darkest, most cobwebbed corners. He had to have been imagining things.

He started to turn to go, to leave, but as he did, something caught his eye. Two doors, nestled away off to the right, the furthest and darkest corner of the chapel. Two with doors with stained glass in them. They looked familiar, but he just wasn't sure where from.

With mere and simple childlike curiosity, he pushed the doors open. He was somewhat disappointed-the doors only led to outside, to the back of the hill. But he noticed something, something that he and his friends used to explore as children (and tease Kairi about for being so scared to come in.) A graveyard. The old graveyard-it was right behind the chapel.

He started over to the cemetery, unable to explain his sudden curiosity. He pushed open the black, wrought iron gates and strolled through the lines of tombstones. Through the green grass and the gray stone, he saw something bright orange and red. What was it?

He started over. Had to take a closer look. Had to see what it was.

When he reached it, he saw that it was a red rose and a paopu fruit. He frowned, kneeling down to read the tombstone. What he read took him off balance, literally; he nearly fell over.

Kokoro Kairi

1990-2004

The Princess that fell from the sky

And touched our hearts

Riku's pale face was ashen, his blue eyes wide in shock. He heard movement behind him and whirled around to see Sora, frowning down at the grave. Riku jumped up.

"Sora!" he exclaimed. "What happened?! Kairi was supposed to be safe! What happened to her?!"

"It was you." Sora replied quietly. The statement made Riku freeze.

"…What…?" he whispered.

"It was you. It's your fault she's dead. You killed her." Sora said simply. He suddenly glared. "Riku! Why did you kill Kairi?!" he shouted.

Riku took a couple of steps back and ended up tripping over the tombstone. He fell, landing hard onto his back. He winced and sat up.

"You killed her! Why, Riku?!" Sora yelled.

"No! I-I didn't!" Riku stammered. Did he? He couldn't remember. He was sure he didn't, but… He couldn't remember! He remembered himself beginning to open his heart to darkness and then…everything going black. After awhile he awoke to find himself in Kingdom Hearts. There were flashes…fighting against someone, fighting with a keyblade, a black one, who was it against?! Not Kairi, please, not Kairi. God, no, he couldn't have killed one of his best friends, he couldn't have killed the girl he had cared for.

He shut his eyes and covered his ears at Sora's accusations, the very accusations that might be true. "No!" he shouted. "I didn't do it! I didn't! I-"

"Of course you did, Riku." A deep voice said. The voice penetrated the shielding of his hands over his ears, it echoed in his head. Riku opened his eyes slightly and started to look up when a hand suddenly wrapped around his neck and lifted him off the ground. Riku shut his eyes and struggled, then opened them to see the black figure, the shadow from earlier with red, glowing eyes gripping his neck.

"Sora…!" Riku cried. "Help…me-"

"Sora can't save you. No one can. You killed Kairi, Riku, and it was all thanks to the darkness in your heart. You, Riku, are nothing more than…a puppet…" the shadow said. Riku felt himself being released and then everything…went black…

-----

"A bit strong of a spell for a beginner, don't you think?" Yukiro asked as he sat down in the chair next to Vincent, who was sitting next to Riku's bed. Vincent opened his eyes slowly, as if he were just waking from a light sleep. He also looked disgusted. He sighed as he looked down at the sleeping boy before them.

"This boy is weak. His heart has already been tainted by darkness to an extent to where it will be very difficult to remove. It's pitiful. If not for the Goldenwood, his heart would have long since been taking by darkness." He said.

"Which is why I don't think it's wise using such strong spells on him at this time." Yukiro said.

Vincent frowned but didn't look at his prince. Finally, he said, "Time is not on our side. We all know that. We can't afford to waste our time babying him. I gave him a mere dream simulation-if it was a dream ofdarkness it would have gotten him a lot worse. If he's going to defeat the darkness in his dreams and more importantly, in his own heart, all in such a short amount of time, then the simulations are going to have to hit him hard and very realistically."

The White Knightthen looked over at his frowning prince. He sighed. "You should try to understand. The Dark Knights move swiftly. The Heartless grow in strength. How long will it be before we come face to face with your brother? A month? A week?"

"Never, I'm hoping." Yukiro replied. "But the strength of these simulations still trouble me. I am at most concerned about the boy's sanity. One can only handle so much torment before he goes completely mad. Bad enough we have difficulty trusting him as it is. Worse if he goes insane."

Vincent nodded. "Just doing my job." He said. "But I understand. I'll ease up on the simulations. Slightly." He glanced over at Yukiro. "But don't you have a job as well?"

"Red XIII is taking over for me. He's going to watch Rufus for now. I heard Riku cry out and I came to see what was wrong." Yukiro said.

"Ah. Well, not much. Nothing on the physical plane, anyway."

"So I see." Yukiro said with a nod. "So I see."

Author's Note-Anyways, would anybody believe me if I said I could get the next chappie out by next Thursday at the latest? –smiles and sweatdrops- Didn't think so. But to everybody that thinks I can, I will try to reward their faith by doing just that. ...Just need to find that page I'm hung up on now to my rough draft, but I'm sure it's lying around here..somwhere.. –sweatdrop- Anyways, to all that is still reading this, thank you! I will work as hard as I can to complete chapters to come. Now, I am going to get some sleep and warm myself up (because we have no heat in our computer room! –needs gloves so that she can type without having to worry about her hands getting cold, lol- So I shall get to work as soon as I can and post the next chapter as soon as I can. Ja ne!


	31. Conspiracy

Author's Note-First of all, late Merry Christmas, early happy New Year! …Okay, now that I got that out of my system… Well, I thought the last chapter was going to be much longer than it was. Guess it wasn't. But here's the new chapter. Um..if I got Leon a little ooc, please forgive me, I have yet to play FFXIII. -ish planning on probably getting that video game next- I still don't own Kingdom Hearts, in case I need to remind you all. My friend and I are busy writing a little prologue thing for Kingdom Gaia, and I'll consider posting it after this story, if anybody would be interested in reading it. Anyways, read and enjoy.

"Silence, what is our status?" the man in red questioned.

"The Dark Knights have been dispatched to where they have been assigned." Silence reported.

"Good. And the boy…Hyotoko, if I'm right?"

"Yes. He has made a smooth transformation to becoming an official Dark Knight. And also," Silence added, "he knows nothing."

The man in red grinned. "Perfect. What of the other boy? The youngest one?" he asked.

"We still have yet to find him. Chaos is keeping an eye out for him while recruiting. But the boy can only hide for so long-he'll have to come out eventually." Silence reassured the man.

This killed the man's grin a bit, but he still nodded. "Indeed." He responded. He studied the young girl that had once been floating and glowing and wide-awake-looking-but now she looked dull and lifeless. More lifeless, in fact, she looked paler than before. Perhaps not dead, no, butvery muchlooking like it.

The man's expression changed to amused. "Tell me, Silence," he asked, "what is it that interests you so about this child? From what I understand, your testing has been turned quite frequently to her, as of late."

Silence straightened a bit. He had been hoping his leader would not notice his testing. But then he replied smoothly, "She is a carrier, I am most certain of that."

"Then why not get the fragment and be done with it?" the man asked.

"Ah, well you see, that is the problem. She appears to be protected."

"Protected?" the man asked, eyes narrowing a bit.

"Yes." Silence said, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out an orb. The orb seemed to be made of light, though solid like glass. Floating in the center was a crystal, a heart shimmering with pink and blue. There was a random area of silver somewhat near the center. Not too large, but not so small that it was toohard to spot, either. The fragment. "Both the heart and body appear to be like this. Guarded. Untouchable. I suspect sorcery, possibly witchcraft." The advisor explained.

He didn't mention Sakura's earlier display. He was reluctant to notify his leader about any activity different from the usual. The spells possibly encountered had yes, been expected. This was not of much surprise. What had happened earlier thoughhad definitely been outside of the norm.

"Mr. Silence!"A young voice yelled. Both the man and Silence looked over at the young girl that came skidding to a stop before them.

"Machi.." the man said.

Machi bowed. "Hello, Mr. Dark Lord!" she said. She turned to Silence. "Mr. Silence, I'm bored." She whined.

"Then go play with Hyotoko." Silence said with a slightdismissive wave of his hand.

"But he's not back yet…"

Silence and the man exchanged glances.

"You sent him somewhere?" the man asked.

"No. You didn't, either?" Silence asked.

"No." the man replied.

There was a long silence. Machi, understanding after a moment, broke the silence with a giggle. "Oooh, Hyotoko left without asking! He's gonna get in trouble…" she said.

The man's eyes narrowed at Silence. "Find the boy. He could find out things he does not yet need to know." He ordered.

Silence bowed. "Yes, of course. I will also get Chaos to search while he is journeying worlds. We will find him, my lord." He responded.

"…Make sure that you do." The man said, walking out.

Silence straightened, eyes narrowed. "That foolish boy…" he muttered.

Machi blinked up at him. "…Mr. Silence…?"

"Machi, it looks like you may get to go to another world. I'll tell Chaos what has happened. If wedon't get anynotification that he has been found within an hour, be ready to leave."

"Okay, Mr. Silence!" Machi said, running off.

-----

"Hey, Squall, Kiyoshi, you're back! …Squall, I didn't know you had a son…"

Leon twitched. "It's Leon. And this is not my son." He said, pulling Hyotoko inside, Kiyoshi trailing along behind them.

"Another little brother, then?" Yuffie asked.

Twitch. "No."

"Then who is he? Why does he look like a miniature you?" Yuffie grimaced. "And what's that awful smell?"

Kiyoshi looked away in embarrassment, his arm still wrapped in the vinegar brown paper strips. Leon glanced over at him, then looked back over at the others.

"…That's not important. This boy is a _friend_ of Kiyoshi." He explained, putting special emphasis in the word 'friend.'

Cloud's eyes narrowed a bit. "He's dressed like a Non-Existent."

"…" Hyotoko kept silent, his head down, as if his eyes were studying the floor.

"He was trying to convince Kiyoshi to join them." Leon stated.

Hyotoko looked up and around at everyone, then shot an angry glance over at Kiyoshi. "So, Kiyoshi. Are these your new friends?"

Kiyoshi's eyes widened, then took on a hurt expression. "Hyotoko…" he started.

"So what if we are?" Tifa asked.

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" Yuffie seconded. She looked over at Kiyoshi. "Why would you ever want to be friends with a jerk like this?"

"Look, give him a break, okay? He's not always like this. He's just worried about-" Kiyoshi stopped as he saw Hyotoko give him another angry look and fell silent. "I mean…"

Leon glanced over at Hyotoko and glared. Hyotoko saw and looked away. Leon then turned to Kiyoshi. "About what?"

Kiyoshi blinked, then said a bit reluctantly, "About Sakura. She's…lost her heart…"

Kairi frowned. A few people automatically glanced over at her. Kairi looked over at Hyotoko.

"Maybe…her heart is in you…" she suggested.

Hyotoko raised a skeptically eyebrow. "Yeah right," he said.

"No, really! I lost my heart last year, but it was in Sora the entire time!" Kairi said.

"Impossible. Impossible enough already that Sakura's lost her heart to begin with. But the idea that it's in me is just stupid. If you people are all gonna talk nonsense, I'm outta he-" As he started out the door, Cloud merely reached out and grabbed the back of his jacket.

"Maybe you should try listening to your elders before making assumptions." Leon advised.

"Maybe, but I'm not going to start listening to adults who start rambling about magic and myth. I believe in only scientific laws and theory. If you're going to try to steer me away from a cause, then you're going to have to use different tactics." Hyotoko said coldly.

"Alright." Leon said. With that said, he unsheathed his Gunblade and in a flash, was holding it up Hyotoko's throat. Hyotoko gasped, eyes wide, frozen. "It's all so easy to say you're going to help the Heartless when you don't experience the pain of those suffering because of them. Isn't it?"

"Leon!" Kiyoshi cried, stepping forward.

"You're helping the Heartless. With your help, the power of the Heartless will grow. How many people will be killed by them? A hundred? A thousand?" Leon asked. "Well?"

Hyotoko frowned, looking down. "I'm not doing this because I want to. It's to save someone I really care about." He said.

"And would Sakura want you to stain your hands with so much blood?"

"Shut up!" Hyotoko yelled, clenching his fists and shutting his eyes tightly. "You don't even know her-"

"But it's true, isn't it?" Leon countered. "Murder is the only thing you can call it. Is that want you want? Is that what she wants?"

"…I'll atone for it, someday. I'll atone for it all. But this is now. All those people…they're all going to die anyway, with or without my help. But if I do help, at least some good can come of it."

"How can good come from murder?" Yuffie demanded.

"Look. You just…have to save who you can, alright? There's no other way. None." Hyotoko said, trying to convince them as well as himself.

"…" Leon slowly lowered his gunblade. Aerith's look softened, looking at Hyotoko's surprised yet helpless look.

"Why don't you stay here for awhile and think about it? Go on upstairs. You look tired," she said.

"But-" Hyotoko glanced over at Cloud, who was still standing by the door, then at Leon, then sighed. "Fine," he sulked, stalking up the stairs.

Author's Note-Uh oh, looks like Hyotoko's in a bit of trouble. And he's so confuseded. Character torture like this is so fun. –grin- But anyways, I'm working on the next chapter. We're going off to see some relatives over the weekend, so I'll probably get to writing a lot more if I don't get sidetracked by my new Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories game, Heheh.. Anyways, please review! Ja ne!


	32. Rule One: Don't Talk to Strangers

Author's Note-Fluff-sama! –huggles plushie and grins- Thank you, DemonSurfer! Sessho is my favorite Inuyasha character! To everybody, I've been writing quite a bit lately, so I'm hoping that my final draft won't catch up with my rough draft any time soon. My schedule for this semester in school had to change so I could have some more academic classes instead of electives, but hopefully the work won't bog me down. I'm still wondering if anybody would be interesting in reading the prologue that my friend and I are in the process of writing (but it would probably come after this fanfic is finished.) If you would, just let me know and I'll post it. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did, then KH2 would probably be like this. Anyways, please read and review.

"Thank god, it's cooling down." Tam said, looking through what was left of dusk's weak light. She shivered slightly and rubbed her arms. "But now it's getting cold." She whimpered.

Taro glanced over at her, then shrugged and took off his coat. He then draped it onto her shoulders. "There. That should keep you warm," he said.

Tam blinked, then blushed slightly. "Don't worry about me, Taro… You need the coat for yourself-you're the one with short sleeves."

Taro shrugged. "I guess, but…strangely enough, I'm not really all that cold. I don't mind," he replied. He looked around, having to squint through the darkness now.

Bagheera noticed Taro's disadvantage of being unable to see in the dark. "Let's stop," he advised. "We should all get some rest, anyway."

"But we can probably keep going for at least another hour." Taro argued, defiant.

"Do all mancubs act like this? Always arguing? I won't even bother. Baloo, I'm taking these mancubs up into the trees. They should be safe up there." Bagheera said.

"From what? Shere Kahn? They already said they took care of him," Baloo said.

"From the Heartless," Bagheera explained.

"So what am I down here? Chopped liver?" Baloo asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Don't tell me you're wimping out on us now," Bagheera said.

"If you think you could find a tree around here that's big enough for you…" Tam said, looking around. "Although it's highly doubtful."

Baloo grinned and shook his head. "Nah. Just givin' you guys a hard time. I'll watch the base-you guys just make sure to watch the treetops," he said.

"Yes, I think we pretty much found out the hard way that that would be the smart thing to do. -.-;" Taro said dryly.

"Well, come along, then." Bagheera said, leaping up gracefully into the tree.

Tam followed, a surprisingly high jump that took her up into the tree. Taro followed by jumping up, wrapping his hands around the lowest tree branch, and then scrambling up. Bagheera eyed the teens with a bit of surprise and even slight suspicion. Taro shrugged.

"My dad always did say I was a tiger, whatever that is." He said, as if that mere statement explained everything.

"You don't know what a tiger is?" Bagheera asked in slight disbelief.

"No. Sorry to say, but we don't really get a whole lot of wild animals in the world of Twilight Town. My parents spoke of tigers and stuff, but I don't know what they are." Taro replied dryly.

"A tiger would be Shere Kahn." Bagheera replied. Taro made a face.

"I think I hate my dad now..."

Tam smiled and shook her head.

Sora jumped up and tried to grab onto the branch. Missed, then jumped again. His hands just brushed the wood.

"Here, Spiky-Head. Let me help you." Baloo said, grabbing Sora and lifting him up.

Sora looked down at the bear, then grinned a bit sheepishly. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem. You kids just get some sleep." Baloo chuckled.

Tam nodded and nimbly scampered up higher into the tree. She yawned. "'Night, you guys." She said.

"Goodnight." Taro said. But he didn't sleep. Rather, he watched everybody settle down to sleep, instead. When all was still, he looked up. Through the treetops, he could see fragments of the pale, full moon, occasionally covered by black, wispy clouds.

_This is all just crazy,_ he thought. _I'm just sixteen. Why am I doing all of this? What was I thinking when I took this job?_

He didn't feel at all sleepy. On the contrary, he was feeling quite restless. He couldn't exactly toss and turn, not on the branch he was sitting on. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and quietly, carefully, so as not to move the branch and wake Bagheera, he climbed down. He looked around, sure that he'd be unable to see without light, but willing to take a walk and try it anyway.

Off to the side, he suddenly heard a twitch, a rustle in the trees. He whirled around, spun on one heel. His black keyblade glinted in the moonlight, but his silver one glowed, illuminated. At the following silence, he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Damn, I'm getting paranoid. Glad my friends aren't here; they'd laugh at me. There hasn't been a single Heartless spotted on this planet…"

Another rustle in the trees. Taro turned again. _Then again, as far as I know, they may only come out at night,_ he thought.

A sudden hiss. Taro frowned. "A snake…?" he murmured.

"Hello, young mancub." A voice said. Taro took a step back, looking around in the vain attempt to spot the speaker.

"I should have known. Another talking animal…" Taro said.

"You don't ssseem ssso sssurprisssed."

"Well, once you've met a talking bear, a talking tiger, a talking black kitty, a whole bunch of literally chattering monkeys, a talking snake isn't all that surprising," Taro said.

"You sssound extra cautiousss."

"Yeah. One: How often does the average person of average intelligence trust a snake? Two: Your snake lisp is getting really annoying."

"Well excussse me for being a sssnake," The snake retorted.

Taro shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. So, what's your name, snake?"

"Kaa. And you, mancub?"

"Taro." Taro replied.

"I sssee. And what bringsss you here at thisss part of the jungle?"

"Well…I started out looking for my friends. But I haven't seen them, so I guess they're not on this world. So now some other friends and I are looking for the keyhole to get rid of the Heartless," Taro explained. He blinked and frowned. Wait. Why was he telling all this to a complete stranger? This snake could be an enemy for all he knew.

"The keyhole, huh? I've ssseen it. Jussst follow me," said Kaa.

"How can I trust you?" Taro demanded.

"Don't worry. Of courssse you can trussst me." Kaa replied.

Taro blinked. The eyes that had grown used to the dark were starting to blur. Why…?

"Relax. Don't be ssso uptight. Jussst trussst me." Kaa soothed.

Taro felt himself waver and his keyblades slip from his fingers. Something was wrapping around him, but he didn't struggle, didn't push it away. So weary… He suddenly felt so very tired, so very sleepy…

And his mind gradually yet so suddenly slipped into darkness…

-----

_A white-haired boy stumbled to a stop, then turned, his bladed staff in his hand. His blond-haired teacher grinned back at him. "…Alright.. Try again. But think this time," she said._

_The eight year-old paused, then ran at her. He suddenly leapt up, jumped into the air before he got to her, then landed behind her, turned, and swung. The blade met air as his teacher jumped up and flipped into the air, landing a few feet away, the grin still on her face._

_"Good," she commented._

_"Good? How was that 'good?' You were still able to dodge," the boy demanded._

_"You think I'd just let you hit me?" the teacher asked, her green eyes a bit laughing._

_"But you didn't even try fighting back!"_

_"I don't wanna hurt you, Yuki-chan.. Not yet.." the teacher said._

_"Stop calling me that! And you don't have to worry about me; I'll be fine." The boy replied confidently._

_His teacher's eyes narrowed at him. "If you really think so." She said a bit warningly, skepticism replacing the laughter in her eyes._

_"I _know_ so!" the boy shot back._

_"Fine." With that, the teacher attacked._

-----

"Hello? Anybody home?"

"Hm?" Yukiro asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

Jessie blinked. "…You okay?" she asked, watching him curiously.

Yukiro straightened, regaining his composure. "I'm fine. What's going on?" he asked.

"Rufus has woken up. Vincent's with the others. They're all waiting, but if you'd rather just get some sleep or something…" Jessie started.

"No, that's okay." Yukiro said, standing up. "Let's just go." With that spoken, he walked out, Jessie following.

As they entered the room, the bound blonde man-Rufus-glared up at them.

Yukiro glanced over at Red XIII. "He just woke up?" he asked.

Red XIII nodded. "Yes."

Yukiro turned to face Rufus with a nod. "You are Rufus Shinra, are you not?" he inquired.

"Yes." Rufus replied.

"Did a Dark Knight assign you to this place to attack it? It's a bit unusual that you decided to come here in person."

"This is _my_ planet-"

"No, it is Kingdom Gaia's planet. You are merely head of the base stationed here." Yukiro shot back. "A position that is soon to be denied. Now tell me: who sent you?"

"I've always lived on this world, but I did become a Dark Knight recently. A man with red hair recently told me that my ancestor was one. With the help of him and the Heartless," Rufus explained, unable to hide the traces of a smirk, "I am now one, too."

Yukiro and Vincent exchanged glances. Finally Yukiro sighed. "A descendant," He said.

"What?" Barret asked.

"There was once a Dark Knight in our kingdom with the same name and face as the one we have captured. This guy isn't him, but merely his descendant." Yukiro explained. He looked back down at Rufus. "This red-haired man-what was his name?" he asked.

"Chaos," Rufus replied.

"Was he the leader?"

"No," came a weak voice from the door. Everyone looked over to see Riku, one hand gripping the doorframe to steady himself. "Chaos is not the leader. He's just the psycho that takes orders from only the second-in-command."

"Riku, you shouldn't be up yet…" Jessie said, starting over to him.

"I'm fine."

"You were shot," Yukiro said.

"Didn't even feel it," Riku replied.

"I believe it. I'm not surprised," Yukiro said, almost casually. "But you have lost a lot of blood, and that should be enough to weaken even a Dark Knight."

"I've lost more blood than this before," Riku said. "Let's just deal with the matters at hand."

"What's going to stop the Heartless?" Barret asked.

"Destroying the source," Vincent answered.

"Rufus?"

"No. The greater, more ancient darkness. Killing Rufus would only make the Heartless run wild without a master. However, it would probably decrease their number drastically if we could find and seal the keyhole to this world," Vincent responded. "But we do not have a keyblade wielder."

"Actually, we do," Yukiro said, glancing back over at Riku.

Riku shook his head. "I don't think so. I can't summonmy keybladeanymore, much less use it right," he objected.

Yukiro sighed. "Then we should at least put a protective barrier over it until another wielder can come by and seal it. Does anyone know where it may be?" he asked, looking around at everyone in the room.

"I doubt it, but I am sure that Grandfather will probably know." Red XIII said.

"Grandfather?"

He's a man named Bugenhagen at Cosmo Canyon, my home," Red XIII replied.

Yukiro nodded. "I see…" he said. He nodded over at Vincent. "Let's go."

As he and Vincent started out, Riku said, "Wait!" Yukiro stopped and turned to look at the boy.

"…I'm going, too," Riku said.

"It is probably dangerous. You're too weak to go. You've done your part, so go back and rest." Yukiro reprimanded.

"I've had worse. I'm going with you guys and that's that," Riku argued.

Riku and Yukiro glared at each other with equal stubbornness. Finally Barret sighed.

"Just let the kid go. I'll cover him-you'll need me to install the new gummi engine anyway," he said.

"But he'll just get in the way!" Yukiro argued.

"Yukiro." Vincent said. Yukiro looked over at him. "Time is not a luxury and therefore, we do not have time to argue. Let us just go with Barret's idea."

Yukiro frowned, hesitating, then sighed in defeat. "Fine." He said, a bit exasperated. He turned to Riku, glaring a little. "Just remember, I'm not going to babysit you. At least, not more than I already am."

"…Don't worry, you won't have to. Just give me my staff and let's go," was Riku's cold reply.

Yukiro shoved the staff into Riku's hands and walked out. Barret, Vincent, Riku, and Red XIII paused, then followed.

Author's Note- -sigh- I tried and yet failed to get this out before Thursday. Blast. But oh well, I did get it out, and I made this chapter a bit longer than usual, or at least I tried to. The rough draft seems to be doing well. I've been working hard on it lately. –nodnod- So I'll try to post more often and write more. In the meantime, just be sure to review. Ja ne!


	33. Sleepy, Sleepy

Author's Note-Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I had last posted.. –blink- Oh, and thank you for the plushie, DemonSurfer! The food ish good too. –smiles and huggles both plushies- As for the fanfic, I'll have to start reading it again. –nodnod- But when I do, I'll be up to giving advice. (Though from the question, it sounds original and cool, so you might just want to try it.) To business, I have finished CoM. Though I will say now that due to the fact that I started this fanfic nearly a year ago, some of the new information that has been released will not be affecting the plotline. Maybe a little, but not a whole lot. And I'm also doubting that there's gonna be a lot if any CoM references in here. Just letting you guys know now. And yet in _spite_ of all that, I still don't own Kingdom Hearts! –sends the lawyers away- There. Now, read and enjoy.

"What are we going to do with him?" Aerith sighed.

Cloud shrugged. "We don't let him go back, I guess."

"If Hyotoko is determined enough, nothing will stop him," Kiyoshi said. "Hyotoko has always been the smartest of our group. He can find a way to sneak out easily if he tries."

"Well he certainly isn't making any good decisions now." Yuffie commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Darkness and worry is clouding his judgment. You can't really blame him," Aerith said.

"Either way, we've got our hands full enough as it is. On the other hand, if we've got Hyotoko then it would be sabotage on the Non-Existent," Leon said.

"I just don't want Hyotoko ending up like Riku. I want him back to normal and I want to find our friends or at least our parents..." Kiyoshi said. He looked up in sudden realization. "Wait…!" With that, he ran upstairs.

-----

"Hyotoko? You awake?" Kiyoshi asked, poking his head into the room that he and Hyotoko were to share. It was a small room with two twin beds, a bedside table between them, a window, and a dresser.

"…" No answer.

Curiously, Kiyoshi flipped on the light and walked over to Hyotoko, who was lying on one of the beds. "Hyotoko…?"

"Go away," Hyotoko said, his back to him.

"But Hyotoko.. I have an idea…" Kiyoshi said, sitting on his own bed.

Hyotoko rolled over to look at him. "Like what?"

"Let's go see my Uncle Ken about this. He's pretty smart," Kiyoshi suggested.

"Last time you saw him, you were two years old." Hyotoko pointed out.

"So? Mom told me that he was pretty smart, and Dad respects him so he must be strong. And if your parents were friends with him, he must be a good guy. He could help us figure things out and he could probably help us in fights and stuff. I'm going to try convincing the others to let me go-please come with me." Kiyoshi said.

Hyotoko blinked, then shrugged. "I'll think about it," he replied. "In the meantime, I'm gonna get some sleep. That woman with the braid was right about one thing-I'm beat. I'll make my decision when I'm more awake.

"Promise you won't try to run away until you tell me if you're going or not?" Kiyoshi asked.

Hyotoko grinned. "You know me too well," he said. He held up the orange oath orb that Sakura had given him back on the night of the incident. "All right. I promise."

Kiyoshi smiled gratefully. "Thanks…"

"Yeah, whatever. Now lemme sleep." Hyotoko said, turning over again so that his back was facing the younger boy.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Okay. I'll go tell the others," he said, running out and downstairs.

-----

"Taro!" a voice shouted in the darkness. "Taro, wake up! Taro!"

Taro opened his eyes blearily. Who was calling him? Let him sleep a while longer…

"Taro!"

Taro groaned and opened his eyes again to see a fanged mouth filling his vision, reeking breath being breathed into his face.

Okay. Now he was awake.

"What the?!" he cried. He tried to struggle, to get free, but he was tightly tied. No, not tied, but tightly wrapped in coils. The coils of a snake, that's right!

"Let go!" he yelled, trying to form his keyblades. Trying to form them but he couldn't. He noticed that it was getting harder and harder to breathe. The coils kept getting tighter. The air was being crushed from his lungs, crushed from his body.

"Let him go," a calm, angry voice said behind him. Taro tried to twist his head around best he could to see what it was and caught a glimpse of glowing eyes.

The mouth drew away to face the speaker. "Ah, another mancub," Kaa said.

"You could say that," the cold voice replied.

"I sssee."

"Now let Taro go," the person said.

"I don't think ssso. He is my sssupper."

The person took a step closer. Pause. Then, "All right. One snake? Should be a piece of cake."

Taro suddenly felt a wind right by his face. A blur and suddenly Kaa's head had been snapped to the side. The coils loosened slightly. It was enough. Taro pushed the coils away and jumped back, away from the snake. The person landed next to him.

Taro looked over, into familiar green eyes.

"Tam?!"

"You okay, Taro?" Tam asked.

Taro nodded in surprise. "Y-yeah… What are you doing here?"

"Saving your butt, of course," Tam said.

"Oh. Um, thanks."

"Sure, whatever. Now where'd that snake go?" Tam demanded, looking around.

Taro looked around. No snake. He shrugged. "Gone, I guess," he said. He turned to Tam. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asked. Tam blinked at him.

"Huh?" she asked.

"That technique. I didn't know you knew karate," Taro said.

"Oh. Well, it wasn't really karate. Just street fighting. My dad was friends with a lot of martial artists." Tam admitted.

"Really? Mine, too," Taro said. He thought for a moment. "Though most of the ones I knew weren't exactly friends, just idiots he put up with. At least, in his opinion."

"I see. That would explain your skill with the keyblades," Tam said. Taro blinked. "But it was one of those friends that taught you how, wasn't it?" Tam asked.

"Er…yeah. My uncle-"

"Shinomori Aoshi," Tam finished. "But never mind. Let's get back. I think we both need some rest. And the others will be worried. So c'mon."

Taro blinked again, frowning as they headed back. How did she know about his Uncle A? He didn't tell her about his family…did he? He ran ahead to catch up with her.

"Tam, how did you know? About my uncle, I mean." Taro asked.

Tam shrugged. "I recognized the style. Shinomori has quite the reputation, you know. My parents heard about it one time, I don't remember where they did, though. Maybe they knew him, I don't know."

"Oh…" Taro replied, unable to come up with a more brilliant answer than that.

Tam leapt up into the tree and Taro followed. "Try to stay here this time, okay? We'll be walking around plenty in the morning, I'm sure." Tam said.

Taro nodded. "Yeah. Okay," he replied. And this time, he meant it.

-----

"Dammit! There's no end to these things, is there?" Barret demanded, firing into the mass of Heartless in the street.

"I though it was a bit suspicious that Rufus was cooperating with us so easily. He must have been summoning Heartless while he was talking," Vincent said.

"Gee, ya think?" Yukiro said sarcastically.

"Where is the ship?" Red asked.

"Outside the city near the Shinra mansion."

"Good. We shouldn't have much trouble once we get out of the city."

Yukiro glanced back over his shoulder. "You holding up back there, Riku?"

"…I'm not better off than you are," Riku replied.

"I'll just guess that means you're fine."

"The gate is just up ahead," Barret said.

"Good. Just so long as the Heartless stop following us…" Yukiro said.

"It's unlikely that they'll follow us," Vincent confirmed.

Yukiro nodded. "Then let's get out of here." With that, he began to clear a path through the Heartless to the gate with his bladed staff. The others followed in suit.

Finally, they reached the gate and passed through, slamming the doors behind them.

"Thank god…" Red sighed. "We're out."

Yukiro nodded. "The ship is this way. C'mon," he said, heading to where the gummi ship had crashed. Everyone followed. A relieved yet awkward silence settled over the group.

_Who would have thought…?_ Yukiro thought. _Look at all of this. Everything I've ever known has so far been ruined. Could it be because…Mother and I ran away…?_

-----

_"We've got to run," the blonde White Knight said, taking a step back yet still standing in front of the nine year-old boy and his red-haired mother. The knight was wounded, yet still ready to fight to the death with Gekido, her four-bladed sword, to protect the royal family from the Heartless._

_"What?! We can't just run away!" the boy argued._

_"Permission to retreat, your Highness?" the knight pressed, ignoring the boy completely._

_"But my son…my husband…" the woman started._

_"With all due respect, your Highness, your husband is lost in darkness and your son has completely lost his mind. You're better off saving the one you still have," the knight replied coldly._

_The woman paused, then nodded. "You're right," she finally said. She took a deep, shaky breath. "You're right. Where is Sir Auron? He must tell the knights to retreat."_

_"I'm sure he's fine, but we don't have the time to look for him. I can give the order, if that's okay. I'll make sure everyone gets out, even," the knight replied._

_"No… No, my son and I need you in our personal guard. Just give the order," the woman said._

_The knight paused, looking torn, looking like she was about to argue. But then she sighed. Shook her head. "If you wish, your Highness," she said. "But what about you and Yukiro?"_

_"I can hold the monsters off until then. But what about you? You're wounded," the woman pointed out._

_The knight glanced down at her wounds-one in the arm and one in the shoulder. Both long, bleeding gashes._

_But the knight shook her head stubbornly. "They're just flesh wounds. I'll be fine. Stay safe, okay? I'll be right back."_

_Before anyone could respond, she headed back to the battlefield._

_-----_

"We're here."

Yukiro looked up. "Hm?"

"We're here," Vincent repeated.

"Oh…"

Red glanced curiously up at the young prince. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"…Just thinkin' of old times," Yukiro replied simply. He glanced over at Barret. "I trust you know how to install the new engine yourself," he said.

"Of course I can! …Just gimme an hour," Barret said.

Yukiro nodded. "All right."

Author's Note-Heh. Of course, I couldn't do Jungle Book without putting Kaa somewhere in there. Um...to some of you who are a bit confused about the description of a four bladed sword (Gekido)...geez, this is gonna be tough to explain... It's like a double sided sword, only it's got a hilt before those, two blades, and then a hilt in the middle. If I can get my friend to draw a picture of it, I'll try to somehow get it scanned and give you guys the address so you can see it (cause my friend's a really good artist.)All right, considering that I have finished CoM, I will now hopefully have a little bit more time to write and update. I'm also still wondering if anybody would be interested in reading the prologue of what happened in Gaia before Dark Rain. Let me know if you are. Anyways, _this_ fanfic will hopefully be updated soon. Now, please review. Ja ne!


	34. Anomolies and Defects

Author's Note-Sorry about the long wait. The cold has been dropping students in school like flies, and it was only a matter of time before it got me, too. I'm feeling better than I was (at least now I have my voice back), but I still feel a little crummy. And on top of that, I have to recite a monologue on Monday in front of my whole drama class from Catholic Schoolgirls. It's bad enough I have a short-term memory, but worse if I have to go up in front of an audience. The main reason I'm taking this class (now that we've got a new teacher that is nowhere near as good as our old one), is so that I could learn more about drama and become a voice actor (as a side job from being an author). Plus I've been lazy. Plus my stupid math teacher ish giving us so much homework that I barely have the time if any to complete the homework in my other subjects. And many other excuses. But bah, I prolly still am sick. I'm rambling. Oh, DemonSurfer, in response to your last review, yes, Taro is Aoshi's nephew. And if you look at Taro, Sakura, Kiyoshi, and Hyotoko, you'll see that they are, in fact, all related to Kenshin characters (except for Taro's and Sakura and Kiyoshi's mothers.) Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. –puts lawyer repellent on all entrances to the house.- Anyways, now that I've finished my endless rambling, here's the next chapter.

"You called?" Chaos asked, taking a quick glance around the library, then resting his gaze again on the two men before him.

Silence continued to stare out the library window, or at least the window's glass design. His face, as always, was shadowed, so only one eye glowed at the ornate glass sections. Chaos had never seen Silence's face, but that mattered not. Another bent on death and destruction? Sure, he'll support that. And if anyone gave him any trouble, hey, he could take care of himself.

Their leader, the man in red (though Chaos refused to accept this man his leader), turned to him.

"Chaos, you have been traveling the worlds; have you seen any other Non-Existent?" he asked.

Chaos raised an eyebrow. "Which one? Because Winterfall is-"

"I know where she is. Silence and I did organize the missions, after all. No, we're talking about Takani."

"Takani? You mean that Hyotoko boy I brought here the other day?" Chaos asked.

"Yes."

"No, I have not. He's left?"

"Yes."

"Was it an attempt of escape?" Chaos asked.

"Perhaps."

"No," Silence said, not even turning to face them. "Hyotoko is an inquisitive young boy, and he is bound to his word to save Sakura. He has not completely broken his allegiance with us, if at all."

"How do you know all of this?" the man in red demanded.

Silence smiled. "Just trust my word. I am not your advisor for nothing, after all."

"…I suppose that's true. Now, on another tone of business, what worlds are working for us now?"

"A few new ones, some old. The former worlds are hesitant to help. Jafar must help, he is bound by his lamp to do so. Hades on the other hand is undecided. The call for power is strong, but for now he is resisting." Chaos replied.

"The gods never do anything for themselves." Silence said a bit disdainfully. "Tell him I will send him a warrior to fight for him. One that is more than capable to capture Sora and the dual wielder."

"Just who is this warrior that you have in mind?" the man in red asked.

Silence walked over to one of the bookshelves and selected a book, then turned to a certain page that illustrated a man with a red coat, tanned skin, and black (though graying) hair. He set the open book down on the desk, before Chaos and the man in red. "Him."

-

"Wake up. We're here." Vincent said.

Yukiro sat up in the cot he had been sleeping in. He rubbed some sleep from one eye. "How long have I been asleep…?" he asked.

"Seven hours."

"I see…" Yukiro said. He looked around. "So, we're really here?"

"Yep. This is definitely Cosmo Canyon." Barret replied.

"Home," Red said.

Yukiro stood up and looked around. High above in the canyon wall they had landed next to, he saw a town. "Up there, huh?"

"Yeah." Red XIII confirmed with a nod. "Grandfather should be up in the observatory." He jumped out as the door opened and started up to the top. The others followed.

"Nanaki, is that you?" A man at the gate exclaimed in near-disbelief.

"Yes," Red replied happily.

"Come on in!" The man said, stepping aside. Red ran into the town. The others started to follow, but the man blocked their path. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

Before the others could reply, Red ran back over. "They're with me," he said. "Let them in."

The man smiled. "Well, I guess any friend of Nanaki's is a friend of Cosmo Canyon. Come in," he said, allowing them inside.

As the others walked inside, they looked around at the peaceful village surroundings. The houses and buildings were built to join with and into the red earth wall and there was a campfire blazing nearby, even though it was still daylight. "C'mon!" Red called, running into a nearby shop. Everyone followed, going higher into the building/canyon wall until they finally emerged, climbing up a ladder and out of a hole in the ground.

Before them, on the top of the plateau, there was a decently-sized observatory. They followed the large cat inside to see a little old man with a long white beard, clad in purple. "Hoo hoo hoo, I see you've brought friends, Nanaki," the man laughed.

"You must be Bugenhagen," Yukiro said. "I'm Yukiro."

"Yukiro… That is the name of the prince of light and the former kingdom of Gaia, if I am not mistaken." Bugenhagen said.

Yukiro's eyes widened slightly. "How did you…"

"Hoo hoo. I have not spent my many years doing nothing." Bugenhagen said.

"I see…" Yukiro said. Now he had the feeling that this man was more sagacious than he had made him out to be.

"We're looking for the keyhole of this world," Riku said, speaking up for the first time. "We were hoping you would know where it was."

"The keyhole?" Bugenhagen asked.

"Yeah. We want to put a barrier over it to protect it until it can be sealed." Yukiro explained.

"I see… Well before I show you where the keyhole is, let me show all of you something. Follow me." Bugenhagen replied, walking into a room with a thick, steel door.

The others curiously followed. The room was dark and small. "What is this?" Barret asked, trying to see through the darkness. Bugenhagen pulled a lever and suddenly the floor was rising. The room was lit by space, the stars and suns and planets of heaven.

"Is this…the universe…?" Yukiro asked in awe.

"Only a small part," Bugenhagen replied.

Riku, oddly enough, could see the worlds as well, only differently. Large balls of light, though most were tainted with just a little bit of darkness. More concerning, there were some that were really dim, the light heavy from the burden of darkness, and some that were just complete spheres of shadow.

"Five hundred years ago, there were three kingdoms. One of darkness, one of light, and one of both." Bugenhagen said.

"Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Gaia, and Kingdom of the Cosmos. Of course, back then, the third kingdom was better known as Kingdom Twilight." Yukiro listed, specifying the names of the kingdoms.

"Yes. There are the elements of balance, and then there is the balance itself. The planets that were in Kingdom Hearts's region were doomed to darkness. The planets in Kingdom Gaia's region were blessed with light. The planets in the Kingdom Twilight's region were much like most of the planets now, a mixture of the light and the dark." Bugenhagen explained. "Rulers of Kingdom Hearts would be dark, rulers of Kingdom Gaia was always light, and rulers of Kingdom Twilight would have a balance of light and dark in their hearts. That was tradition."

"Tradition… Then why was it that the king of Gaia turned to darkness?" Yukiro demanded.

"Because he had never been born from light in the first place," Bugenhagen replied.

Yukiro's eyes widened a bit. He turned to look at Vincent. "Is this true…?"

Vincent nodded slowly. "Every ten years, the rulers of the three kingdoms would meet. It would help in maintaining peace and stability throughout the universe. It was there that your father and mother met. At the time, your mother was the queen of Kingdom Gaia and your father was the king of Kingdom Hearts. When they married, your uncle, your father's brother, ruled Kingdom Hearts while your father left for Gaia."

"Wait, hang on. If Kingdom Hearts was darkness, why did it become light for a few moments when Sora was there?" Riku asked.

"Who is the current ruler of Hollow Bastion?" Vincent asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Hollow Bastion was the world that the royal family of Kingdom Hearts usually resided. When Gaia was sealed, no doubt Kingdom Hearts was as well. After that, the royal family's power probably receded to eventually rule over that one world."

"Oh… Well…the current ruler of Hollow Bastion should be Kairi, but the actual one in charge is…or was…someone else. I can't remember who, though." Riku replied.

"And what is Kairi?"

"Kairi? She was a Princess of Heart… She had a pure heart, one that would be on the side of light." Riku said.

"Then Kingdom Hearts would probably mimic the intensity of light and darkness depending on the ruler, if she was nearby. Rightfully, she should be the ruler of Kingdom Hearts and all the worlds within its region, not just Hollow Bastion. Of course…her being of light when ruler of darkness… She is an anomaly." Vincent said.

Riku glared at him. "Are you calling Kairi a freak?" he demanded.

"Of course not. Just…a break in tradition." Vincent amended.

"Uh huh…" Riku said dryly, giving him a bit of a peeved look.

"Point is, she was light, and because of her being light, Kingdom Hearts was for awhile, as well." Red interrupted, not wanting to put up with an argument between the two.

Riku paused, then nodded. "Yeah… But one more thing. I thought I heard that Kingdom Hearts was the heart of all worlds or something like that..."

"You heard wrong." Vincent said. "It is only the heart of all the worlds in the region of Kingdom Hearts. Either way, the fact remains that the king of Gaia is dark and the queen is light."

"So…I'm an abomination?" Yukiro asked quietly. "Gaia is light. The prince of it should not be half darkness. Maybe I was never meant to be born…"

"Twins are an odd thing. Perhaps your genotype is the same as your father, but your phenotype is not. You and your brother should be one person, but a balance was found even then. You are the prince and the incarnation of light. Your brother is of darkness, the prince and incarnation of it entirely." Vincent explained. "It's a biological mystery. We barely understood it ourselves. All we know was that one was pure of dark and one was pure of light. A prophecy from the mystic Brigit confirmed that theory. That two children would be born, two princes. One would be of darkness and the other would be of light. The light would be overthrown by darkness within the next generation."

"Is that why she was exiled? For telling a stupid prophecy?" Yukiro demanded.

"She was exiled because your father would have killed her if she wasn't." Vincent replied. "Like Sir Auron and Roxie, she was 'helping' your father. She was a spy. But unlike them, she wasn't working for your mother."

Yukiro frowned. "What…?" he asked. "Then whom was she working for? My father?"

"Neither," Vincent said. "While she was a citizen of Gaia, she had been born in the Twilight Kingdom. She was a spy of Queen Astrid and King Kyanite, Princess Seika's parents. When your father wanted to start using your brother in his experiments, Brigit disagreed. The king was afraid that she would threaten to tell the public about what he was doing. It worried us as well. So, Sir Auron exiled her back to Kingdom Twilight."

"Oh…" Yukiro said.

"The threat of darkness taking over everything has arisen once more, I see." Bugenhagen said.

"Bugenhagen. What happed to all the worlds when Gaia was sealed?" Vincent asked. "Did they all change like this one? Or did most of them stay the same?"

"They did what most leaderless worlds would do," Bugenhagen said. "They panicked. For a while, the Twilight Kingdom tried to manage all the worlds. But there were so many. And five hundred years is a long time. Queen Astrid died soon after Princess Seika was sealed into Gaia, and most likely the cause of death was grief. King Kyanite lived for a few decades of loneliness, and well…eventually he died, too. Kingdom Twilight was then leaderless. Knights and close friends tried to take over for him, but apparently nobody was suited well enough for the job. Bonds broke and enemies were formed. Tensions ran so high that the worlds gradually began to withdraw and turn to isolationism. Project Shinra was the last world of all to do so, which is one of the reasons that explains why our technology is more so advanced than most. It took less than five hundred years of each planet with their own solitude to eventually forget."

The worlds, not just a few, but now all of them, started to be tinged with darkness. "No longer is an entire world pure, just as no person can be pure. The worlds have found mostly balance," Bugenhagen said.

"Does it work?" Vincent asked.

Bugenhagen smiled. "Most of the time," he said. "But now darkness is beginning to endanger that. If it does not corrupt the people of the world, then the world will be destroyed. Neither are good options."

Yukiro nodded and glanced around at all of the worlds. Despite the time that had passed, he still recognized them all. A bit absently, he wondered if Vincent did, too.

"These are the current statuses of all the planets, right?" Riku asked. "Where's Destiny Islands?"

"Right over there, I believe." Bugenhagen said, pointing to one of the worlds. "It's quite curious, though. This world was shining brighter than I've seen it all year a couple of days ago and now it's grown dimmer than ever."

Riku frowned. _Kairi…_ he thought.

"Our world has suffered much abuse throughout the ages, but should the heart of it suffer being tainted by darkness, it will disappear. We should hurry to the keyhole now. Follow me." Bugenhagen said, lowering the platform and walking out. Everyone followed.

Author's Note-… -grumbles something about stupid PS2 memory cards with certain near-complete FF7 games on it- If I screwed up the layout of Cosmo Canyon, sorry about that. It's been a long while since I've played and I can't find the memory card. Anyways, yeah…sorry for taking a long time posting, but at least I made this chapter a bit longer than usual. I'm hoping I'll recover soon from this crummy cold. Um…just to say ahead of time, by the way, I wouldn't expect any chapters out before Monday and possibly Tuesday. I'm stressing out about this monologue thing and while I'm getting some parts of the rough draft written here and there in my other classes, I'm not getting a whole lot done after school. However, I do think that luckily, when this monologue performance is over, we will start learning about ancient theatre history instead of performing. Then I'll be able to focus more on Dark Rain again. For those who have waited patiently, thank you. I'll try to have the next chapter posted as soon as possible. Wish me luck. Ja ne!


	35. NeedCoffee Beans

Author's Note-grumbles at stupid flamers that have no idea what their talking about- Don't ya just hate it when someone flames your stories when they only skimmed over a couple of chapters at the end with hateful intentions in the first place? –tosses flamers to Hel herself- That's what I say to that! Ahem…right. Anyways, sorry for the long wait. I've been a bit uninspired lately (part of it is due to writers block…) and apparently I get more written during school than I do at home. –smiles and sweatdrops- And now that my long weekend is over, I shouldn't have much of a problem getting back to work. (Strange, isn't it? Normally you'd hear just the opposite…) Also, I've started a new original story and a new fanficceh, so that may steal a little bit of my attention, but not that much. The fanfic was started from boredom and starting original stories tend to be a bit slow for me, anyways. So I'll have plenty of time to write more to this. Oh, I'm debating on the next world for Riku's group and Sora's group to go to (prolly gonna be separate ones, still…), so if you have any suggestions, let me know. Word ofexplaination about the '?.!'s..I was a little pissed off about that. Stupid document manager and thinks I can't edit my ownword and I can't take it off. And it's not letting medo that without the period in the middle. So I'm just going to settle for that right now.Finally, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, so don't sue me. Now that I'm finished with all my rambles…onto the ficceh!

"Hyotoko! Hyotoko, wake up! Hurry up and eat breakfast; we're about to go!" Kiyoshi rushed.

Hyotoko groaned and opened his eyes slightly, glancing out the window. "Kiyoshi, it's still dark out. What time is it…?"

"It's dark in Traverse Town all the time. C'mon, you've slept for nine hours already." Kiyoshi whined.

"Nine hours? Really…?" Hyotoko asked. He sat up and rubbed some of the sleep out of his eyes. "Alright, then, I'm up…"

"Hurry up and eat, then. The others said it would be alright to go see Uncle Ken. Cid's gonna lend us his gummi ship," Kiyoshi said.

Hyotoko blinked. "None of them are coming along? You mean they actually trust me?"

Kiyoshi blinked. "What do you mean…?" he asked cluelessly.

"Actually, no," a feminine voice said in the doorway. Both boys looked over to see Tifa. "Kairi and I are coming, too."

"Are you serious?" Hyotoko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Tifa confirmed. "So don't try anything." She then turned. "Well, I think I'm going to head off to the items and accessory shops… We're going to need a bit more supplies for our trip than we thought."

"Can I come, too? Staying in this house for so long is starting to make me stir-crazy, I think," Kiyoshi asked.

Tifa blinked. "Didn't you sleep?" she asked.

Kiyoshi smiled and sweatdropped, shaking his head. "Nope. I don't sleep that much. I guess you could say that I'm a little bit of an insomniac…" he admitted.

Tifa sighed. "Great. Then I don't know how you're going to survive in the gummi ship. C'mon, then…" she said, starting out.

Kiyoshi turned to Hyotoko. "Try to be ready when we get back, okay, Hyotoko? See ya." He said, walking out with Tifa.

Tifa looked down at Kiyoshi as they walked down the street. "Aren't you worried?" she asked.

"Well, I am a bit nervous. Hyotoko was right about one thing: I haven't seen Uncle Ken since I was only two years old."

"I'm not talking about that," Tifa said. "I mean, aren't you worried that Hyotoko's going to run away while you're gone?"

Kiyoshi blinked, then smiled. "Not really," he said. He searched his pocket, then finally pulled out a glimmering green orb. "I think Hyotoko had this with him when he promised he wouldn't."

"What is it?" Tifa asked. "It's pretty…"

"Sakura gave Taro, Hyotoko, and I these things the night everything happened. She bought them in the new accessory shop down the street. They're called destiny balls or oath orbs or something like that. If you make a promise on them, the promise will hold true. At least, that's how it works on our world." Kiyoshi explained.

_"Friends? We're siblings-we're stuck with each other."_

_"Yeah…of course we'll always be friends…"_

_"We don't need oath balls or whatever the heck they're called to hold our friendship together."_

Kiyoshi's look grew sad. "You know, though, when she gave us these, we didn't believe the legend. She wanted us all to make a promise that we would all stay friends forever and well…now look what's happened. Hyotoko's mad at Taro, Sakura's lost her heart, and Taro's probably on another world as we speak."

"But we'll find them all again and everything will be back to normal; you'll see," Tifa assured. "Kiyoshi, friendship isn't held together by orbs you buy in a store. The friends you have always stay with you in your heart."

Kiyoshi's look brightened to a slight smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he said.

"Of course I'm right! You just wait. You'll see your friends and sister again soon, I promise," Tifa said.

Kiyoshi smiled a bit wider as he nodded. "Yeah…"

* * *

Tam growled, her ears twitching slightly, her eyes still closed. Somewhere nearby she heard stomping, singing, and trumpeting. 

"Good lord, whoever's doing that ought to sit still and shut up. It's too early for this crap." She grumbled.

Stomp, stomp, stomp. Trumpet. "Oh, for the love of god…" Tim finally sighed, exasperation in her voice as she opened her eyes and jumped down from the tree. She looked around, then headed towards the source of the noise, grumbling, "The one time I don't have a pillow, the ONE time…!" She finally stopped when she reached the parade of singing elephants, tromping through the forest.

Tam twitched. "Hey," she said. No response. The elephants just ignored her. "Hey!" she tried again. No answer. "Oi! Can I have your attention, you stupid elephants?.!" she shouted.

The elephants all stopped, looking confused.

"Who is it?.! Who's giving out commands?.!" one of the elephants demanded, walking over.

Tam assumed this was the leader. She glared.

"Would you all mind being just a little bit quieter?.! Some of us are trying to sleep!" she snapped.

The leader frowned. "What? What's another mancub doing out here in the jungle?"

A female elephant walked over to sniff her. "She may look like a mancub, but she certainly doesn't smell like one," she said.

"What? That's preposterous! What is it then that she smells of?"

Sniff sniff. "Nothing. She has the smell of flowers, but it's not her scent. It doesn't exist. She smells like nothing. Almost like a shadow…"

Tam blinked, then glared. "What does _that_ have to do with _anything_?.! I just came here to tell you guys to shut up!" she exclaimed.

Tam twitched as the elephants ignored her and argued amongst themselves.

"Tam?" A voice asked behind her. Tam turned to see a sleepy Sora behind her, blinking.

"Morning," Tam grumbled.

"What's going on?" Sora asked, looking up at the elephants.

"Stupid elephants can't be quiet."

"I see you've met the Elephant Brigade," Bagheera said, walking up to stand beside Sora.

"So to speak. They're very noisy. It really is uncalled for," Tam replied dryly.

"They didn't wake me up…" Sora said. Tam rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're one of those early wakers," She said.

"No…" Sora replied.

Tam stared at him. "Then why the hell in your right mind are you up so early?.!" she demanded.

Sora smiled and sweatdropped. "I rolled off the branch…" he admitted a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Tam sweatdropped, the shook her head. "You are only human, I guess…" she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Sora blinked, the smiled. "As opposed to what?" he asked.

Tam shrugged. "Talking animals? I dunno. Anyway…" she said, changing the subject.

"Right. First that Mowgli mancub from the other day, now two new ones?" the elephant leader said.

"Actually, three," Bagheera corrected with a sigh.

"What are you _thinking_?.!" the elephant leader demanded.

"They're not staying here permanently," Bagheera assured him. "They're only here to find and seal the keyhole, ridding us of the Heartless problem once and for all. On another note, have you seen Mowgli? It seems I've lost him again."

"Ahem, well of course! And elephant never forgets, after all," the leader said. "He was…um…uhm…"

"The barren lands! Wasn't it?" The youngest elephant piped up.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! Just what I was about to say," the leader said.

"Well, that's one problem solved, huh?" Sora said cheerfully, looking over at his friends. But Tam wasn't listening. Instead she was focusing intently on something to her left, green eyes narrowed, ears twitching slightly. "Tam…?" Sora asked, blinking and looking off to the left but seeing nothing.

Nothing but a twitch in the bushes.

Tam turned to Sora. "The air here reeks with the scent of tiger. Wake up Taro and Baloo and let's get moving. I'm not in the mood to be breakfast," she said. She then glanced at Sora, paused in thought, and shook her head. "Know what? Never mind. I'll go get them. Sora, you stay here with Bagheera," she said, starting off. As she passed Bagheera, she said in a low voice to him, "Don't let that kid out of your sight. Every step he takes seems to get him into trouble."

"Believe me, I know the feeling," Bagheera sighed. "I will." Tam nodded and headed back to their tree.

Her eyes scanned the bushes and the trees. She was on high alert, the seeds of various plants held between each finger, ready to be tossed in the event of a sudden attack. "Geez, this brings back memories…" she mumbled. She was beginning to get the sinking feeling that maybe going alone was a bad idea. And leaving Sora all by himself, even if it was in the care of Bagheera (and maybe the elephants) was probably not the wisest of all her decisions…

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy, hurry up! I'm getting ahead of you!" 

"Slow down," the woman with long black hair called.

"Yes, we wouldn't want to lose you," the red-haired man agreed.

The five year-old paused, blinked back at them, then laughed and ran up ahead. "Tam!" the man called. As their daughter faded from their view, he sighed and turned to his wife. "I'll get her this time," he assured her, running off to follow her.

Eventually Tam stopped and looked around. Where was she? She could only see bamboo towering over her on all sides. She strained her ears for the sounds of her parents' familiar voices. Nothing. Wait! There was something! Movement, coming from in front and behind.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Rustlerustle. Tam turned. Her eyes widened as a dark figure with red eyes emerged. He looked down at her and unsheathed his sword. As he swung down, she screamed…

* * *

"Tam!" 

Tam snapped out of her thoughts, whirling around as her hand raised, seeds ready. Taro held up his hands in defense.

"Woah, woah. It's just me, Taro. This isn't a bad time, is it?" Taro asked.

"…No. C'mon," Tam grumbled, turning and starting back to the field. "Where's Baloo?"

"We split up looking for you, Sora, and Bagheera," Taro said, blinking.

"Not…smart…" Tam criticized. She sighed. "Well, I'm sure we'll find him on the way. If a gigantic loud bear can manage to evade my senses, I'm going to have to label myself deaf, dumb, and blind."

"Hey, Taro!" a voice called. Taro and Tam looked around, finally spotting a large gray mass of fur several yards away. "You find anyone?"

"Did you miss that?" Taro asked, glancing over at Tam.

"No," Tam replied. She waved. "We're over here!" she called back.

The mass of fur-now officially identified as Baloo-tromped over. "There you are!" he said, looking down at Tam. "Where's Bagheera and Spiky-Hair?"

"With a bunch of annoying elephants. C'mon, I'll take you to them. They're really not hard to miss," Tam said, heading back briskly to their friends and the Elephant Brigade.

"Annoying elephants? You mean the Elephant Brigade?" Baloo asked.

Tam sweatdropped. "So, they're apparently well-known by everybody in this jungle. That's kinda sad…" she said.

"Yeah… They think they're important, but not really. At least they keep an eye on what's going on around the place," Baloo said.

"If you weren't lazy, you could probably do that yourself," Tam pointed out, rolling her eyes.

"But why do so when you've got someone to do it for you? Sometimes you have to learn to make do with what life gives you and how to take advantage of it," Baloo said.

"Words of wisdom from a flea-ridden bear," Tam muttered.

Baloo blinked. "What's wrong with you this morning?"

"That's just it. It's morning. I'm not a morning person," Tam grumbled. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I need coffee. And I wouldn't say no to a shower, either. Next world that we go to is going to be modern and human-populated."

Taro smiled. "I guess we'll see what we can do."

Author's Note-Like I said, sorry for the long wait, but I think I'm actually started to get inspiration again. I'm finally starting to write more to my rough draft. –grins, then yawns and sweatdrops- …I need sleep… -shakes her head- Anyways, I need to get FFX… -sighs- I got about halfway through it, but I've been renting it from Blockbuster. Now they don't have it. ;; So now I'm going to have to go buy it… -sighs again- But yeah. No need to worry about me getting Auron ooc, I think. I've done role-plays and I've played…um…part of the game. –smiles and sweatdrops- And besides, I probably won't have him actually meet the others until a little bit later. Well, I hope that answers that question, DemonSurfer and Doghouse. Oh, and about Auron? I know the whole sad story. Believe me, I have no life, therefore my list of KH2 info sites is…well, let's just say my parents don't really like how I make such big files in the favorites section. –smiles and sweatdrops- But it might be slightly altered in this version. I'm still developing the idea. But what I can tell you is that… -grins and shakes her head- Nevermind. Don't want to give away any spoilers! (Heheheh…) Oh, and yeah guys, I bring in Kenshin characters. To be honest, Aoshi, Saitou, Sano, and Megumi are actually referred to, but not by their actual names. To be honest, I wasn't that sure when I started this fanfic if I wanted to bring in animes, but now I'm pretty sure. Oh, and as for the other Kenshin cast…you may see them in the future, you may not. –shrugs- I ain't giving anything away for the time being. Oh, and yes, redheads rock. I know because I am one, heheh.. (part Irish and proud, lol!) –grins- To answer your final question, I have no idea where I got the name 'Anabelle.' I'm just not that good with names, usually, lol. So you can call me Anabelle if you want, though I'm usually known as Jessica. So, your pick. –shrug- Anyways, anything else I may have to say (because I have the feeling that I'm leaving something out, I just can't remember what it is…), I'll probably put it in my rant in my profile, which I'm going to update sometime within the next couple of days, so you can check here. -sweatdrops- Holy crap, this is a long author's note. Sorry to ramble; guess I'd better wrap this up. Oh, and thanks for the reviews, DemonSurfer and Doghouse. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, so please review! Ja ne!


	36. Ticking Time Bomb

Author's Note- … -tosses away controller- Well, I just wasted about an hour and a half of my life. They really need to learn the art of save point placement in the FullMetal Alchemist game.. -.-;; Which reminds me, I do actually intend to put in a few anime worlds. Plain old Disney worlds I've come to find are difficult enough to work with (surprisingly enough), so a couple of animes will probably find its way into the fanfic at some point. I _do_ know that FMA is gonna be in there, and actually, quite soon. About the lateness…sorry about that, I know the author's status said the 7th, but I forgot and thought it was the 9th…Eh, oh well. This chappie is extra long, anyway. And it's still late… I passed my exams! Woot! –grin- And I passed all my classes! Yay! Now, one more quarter and I've got summer break. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Here's the chappie!

Hyotoko yawned and looked around the First District. It was still dark. Kiyoshi must have been right. "Always night, huh? How do people live here without being depressed? They would have to be chemically imbalanced…" he muttered.

Tifa glanced over at him. "Hm?"

Hyotoko rolled his eyes. "Nothing…" he muttered. He looked around again. "So where's this gummi ship I keep hearing about?" he asked. All of this rambling about myth and magic was annoying and tiresome. He was anxious to get his hands on some technology. Science was his field, not magic. In his opinion, the supernatural was only meant to be there to be disproved.

"Be patient-you'll see in a few minutes," Tifa sighed. "Honestly, I don't see why you're having to come with us. It's like dragging along a little kid."

"I could say the same thing. You guys are the ones getting all worked up over little faerie tales," Hyotoko shot back.

"And we're worried about those 'faerie tales' because of the Non-Existent; whom, if I recall correctly, _you_ work for. Therefore, if they are the cause of all of this, then wouldn't they be something along the lines of a cult?"

Hyotoko blinked. He had never thought of things like that before. He considered it, then shook his head. "Nah," he said. "Cults are religiously based, or something along those lines. The Non-Existent is not. At the very most, it is just an organization or a society, nothing more. Nice try, though."

Tifa sighed in exasperation. "I thought you were a scientist! Scientists are supposed to be open-minded, aren't they?.!"

"Yes, and they also analyze the facts. The known Non-Existent only form a small group that is willing to accept anyone no matter their age, beliefs, or interests. If you have a problem, they'll help you out. It's a loose, motley group of misfits with different interests entirely. Kind of like this one," Hyotoko explained knowingly.

Tifa frowned. "No… We do have a common goal. Two, in fact. We're looking for our friends and we're trying to stop the darkness. We're helping one another, looking out for each other. We give each other hope so we can achieve our goals. That's what friends do for each other," she said. "Don't you know?"

Hyotoko frowned and looked away. "I don't know what to believe anymore. But from what I've learned from personal experience, what you preach are merely the beliefs of the ignorant. Sure, friends will help each other on occasion. But when fear or other interests complicate that, they'll submit to human nature and abandon them. That is the real truth about friendship."

Tifa shook her head incredulously. "Listen to yourself. Do you have any idea how warped your logic sounds? You don't question that idea at all? They must have you really brainwashed. Kiyoshi risked a lot when he asked if you could come along. And besides, you're risking a lot to help Sakura, aren't you?"

"No one else will…" Hyotoko gruffed, reluctant to admit that she had made a good point.

"You're wrong about that. Kiyoshi wants to help her, and I don't know Taro, but I'm sure he does, too."

"But will they actually do it? That's a factor you're forget-"

"Hey guys! Sorry we took so long," Kairi called, walking over as Kiyoshi trailed behind her.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Took ya long enough," she said.

"We were saying our goodbyes and getting some more stuff we might be needing from the others. Leon gave us some munny, Yuffie gave us some potions, Cloud gave us some ethers, and Aerith taught Kiyoshi and I the basic cure spell," Kairi explained.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Yeah. Now I know a new spell," he said cheerfully. Hyotoko rolled his eyes.

"Anything Cid gave us?" Tifa asked.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Just a big lecture about us kids flying a gummi ship. He tried to push a manual on us, despite the fact that there's already one in the glove compartment. He should probably be finding the one he gave us in about ten minutes on the mail box," she said. Tifa laughed and Kiyoshi smiled. Hyotoko smirked.

"No problem. I can hotwire a car and I can build a decent computer. A spaceship should be hardly a problem," he said as they started towards the large doors that led out of town.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Great, a techie. Well, at least we have someone to fix the gummi ship when it breaks, right?" she teased.

Hyotoko raised an eyebrow. "When? I think you mean if. I'm certainly not going to try to break it."

"Yeah. Hyotoko only takes things apart on boring summer days. And the occasional winter day and rainy day. Right, Hyotoko?" Kiyoshi laughed.

Hyotoko shrugged. "So I like to see how things tick. That's not unusual. And besides, in any case, I always put it back together when I'm through," he said.

"Yeah. Except that one time you and Taro somehow managed to take apart everyone's shoes…" Kiyoshi said, sweatdropping.

"Heh. Gimme a break. Taro was only seven and I was only four…" Hyotoko chuckled.

"Yeah, but you guys couldn't put them back together. Remember? You guys got into so much trouble. Uncle Saitou and my dad and your dad couldn't put them back together. Finally it had to be up to Uncle Ken to fix them, since he seemed to be the only one that knew how," Kiyoshi reminded.

"Yeah. And until they were all fixed, everyone was walking around Tokyo in socks or barefoot," Hyotoko laughed.

"Note to self: hide all shoes if not wearing them…" Tifa muttered. The others glanced over, then allbegan laughing. It felt good to laugh again, even if the situation wasn't at its best.

When they arrived at the large field, they approached the small, colorful gummi ship. Hyotoko raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this little thing can manage to take the four of us up into space?"

"Sure it will! Gummi ships have powerful engines," Kairi assured.

"..If you say so…" Hyotoko said doubtfully, looking for the 'open' button for the door. Kairi grinned as she came up behind him and pressed the button beside the door. The door slowly opened, sliding up. Hyotoko blinked, then glanced back at her. "..Thanks."

"Anytime," Kairi replied, following him and the others inside. Hyotoko sat down in the pilot's seat and surveyed the control panel. The others walked over and sat down on one of the three cots in the back.

"Now let's see…" Hyotoko muttered. After a few more minutes of study, he reached up and flipped a few switches.

"Think he can figure out how to start this thing without taking it apart?" Tifa muttered to the others.

"If it's not too much different from the technology back home," Kiyoshi replied.

"Well, I think he's doing it all right so far…" Kairi said, blinking.

Hyotoko paused, studying the lower panel again, then nodded and pressed a few buttons. The lights suddenly flipped on as the engine began to hum to life.

"Heheh. Told ya I could work this thing," Hyotoko said, grinning and glancing back at them.

"Good job!" Tifa said. "But I'm still putting on my seat belt," she started as she stood up, moved over into a chair, and reached over to grab her seatbelt.

Hyotoko rolled his eyes and glanced back at the windshield to watch the ship begin to lift off from the ground. "Well, you guys should have done that in the first place," he said. Then, as an afterthought, he buckled his own seatbelt.

Kairi sighed and smiled, shaking her head as she got up to get into a chair. Hyotoko did somewhat remind her of Riku: confident, independent, somewhat mature…

She just hoped he wouldn't follow down the same path.

* * *

"Nobody's been down here for awhile, it seems…" Yukiro stated, looking around the dark, dank cave.

"Hoohoo, correct. Until now, there has not really been much need," Bugenhagen replied.

Yukiro flinched as several creatures flew out and at them from behind a nearby rock. They were dark blue with bat wings that were veined with yellow. There was hardly a body-mainly just a large purple eyeball in the center. But two long, yellow tentacles with sharp tips bearing a Heartless symbol on each were hanging from the eye, so they were definitely harmful.

Yukiro formed his staff while Vincent and Barret raised their guns. "And now that there is a need, it's too dangerous for you or any villager to come down here, am I right?" Yukiro asked.

Bugenhagen nodded. "That is also correct," he replied.

The three fighters destroyed the Heartless while Red XIII walked protectively along beside Bugenhagen, Riku following behind the old man. "Careful where you aim. We wouldn't want a cave-in," Red XIII warned.

"Easy for you to say; you have a flaming tail. But for us humans, it's kinda hard to do that when we can barely see. It's so damn dark in here," Barret grumbled. Red XIII rolled his eyes.

"Let me shoot the Heartless. I'm a White Knight; I can see their auras," Vincent said.

"No way. How do you see a dark aura against a dark background?" Barret argued.

"When you see things in shades of gray," Riku muttered. "Not that I would know…"

"Besides, for all I know, you could be nothing but a damn rookie," Barret continued.

Vincent turned his head slightly, just enough to glance over at Barret through the corner of his eye. "True," he said, unphased. "For all you know, I could be merely an amateur."

A gunshot rang out through the cave and a 'thud' followed. Barret looked down at the twitching Heartless that had fallen next to him, paused, then stepped on it. "…Lucky shot…" he grumbled.

"Perhaps," Vincent said. He glanced over at Yukiro. "Let's see if your training has paid off. What do you see?"

Yukiro glanced at some of the remaining Heartless that crept around in the shadows. "Large eyes-the power of paralysis. Sharp tentacles-no doubt poison. It would be unwise to look at these Heartless directly."

"Not bad," Vincent said. "She taught you well."

Yukiro didn't respond. The group crossed the threshold into a room that contrasted greatly to the last. Magma pooled around an almost-set path, somewhat lighting up the darkness and warming the room.

Bugenhagen looked up at Riku. "Step carefully. Stray off the path and you'll burn up in magma."

"Just stay in the center of the path and I'll follow," Riku instructed.

"Hoohoo, of course," Bugenhagen replied.

"Are we close?" Yukiro asked.

"Somewhat. I'd say we were about halfway there."

Yukiro nodded, then hesitated and glanced over his shoulder as he thought he caught the sight of movement within his peripheral vision. Nothing. But just in case…

"Despite the change of atmosphere, we should all continue to keep and eye out for Heartless, old and new," he reminded.

"As usual…" Riku said.

"What do you think we've _been_ doin?" Barret seconded.

"…Just don't want anybody letting their guard down, that's all," Yukiro explained.

"Hoohoo, almost there," Bugenhagen announced, coming to an opening that led into a new cavern. This one was without the magma-just stalactites and stalagmites…and a door…

"Is the keyhole just beyond that door?" Vincent asked.

The old man nodded. "Yes," he replied, starting over towards the door.

"Wait!" Riku exclaimed. Bugenhagen stopped and turned to glance at him. "…Does anyone else hear that?" Riku asked.

Everyone grew silent and listened for a few moments, none of them daring to even move.

Barret broke the silence, starting to say, "…Dammit! I ain't hearin noth-"

"Wait! …I hear it, too…" Red XIII interrupted, ears perked up in alert.

That silenced everyone again. There was a long pause, then suddenly…

_Scritch scritch scritch!_

The sounds of claws on stone…

"…Hear it now…?" Riku asked quietly.

"Yeah, from above…" Yukiro agreed with a nod. He looked around at everyone as he grabbed his bladed staff and began to give orders quietly.

"Red XIII, Barret, I trust you two can take care of Riku and Bugenhagen. Vincent and I can fight directly whatever comes to fight us," he said.

"Hey! I can fight, too!" Riku argued.

"You're not fighting any major battles any time soon," Yukiro shot back. "You're still weak from blood loss. You would just get in our way."

"I'm fine," Riku bickered. Yeah. He _wished_ he was feeling fine. But to tell the truth, just the _walk_ up there had just about worn him out.

_Scritch scritch- Crash!_

The group looked over at the rising dust cloud behind Bugenhagen. Two blood-red eyes glowed, piercing through the dust. As it cleared, they could see that it was as big as they had expected, maybe bigger, standing at about twelve feet tall on its hind legs. It seemed to have a skin of thick glass, maybe crystal, displaying what looked like a thick, black liquid, like swirling darkness inside.

However, its claws seemed made of bone, and it had a long reptilian tail, striped with silver scales and dark gray fur. A thick mane of silver circled its neck, and its nose was somewhat long and pointed straight out, opening up like a horn at the end, oddly hollow. The teeth were sharp, as were the two ox-like horns atop its head, seemingly made of obsidian. Two black, bat-like wings extended from its back, but considering how impossible it would be to use them (not only because of the fact that there would…should…be no way that bat wings could be able to lift something that massive off the ground, but also because the cavern was somewhat small compared to the beast, preventing flight) they couldn't fathom the slightest idea of why. Finally, adorning its chest was a large Heartless symbol, as were two smaller ones, one on each clawed hand with stretching fingers.

The Heartless monster growled a low growl, baring its sharp teeth and eyeing the group. "It _looks_ intimidating, but c'mon. Glass skin? Breaking it is going to be easy," Barret commented.

"I have doubts it is just innocent glass," Vincent said, taking out his gun.

"I agree. Barret, Red XIII, take Bugenhagen and Riku and fall back. For now, just be sure to hold a strong defense," Yukiro said. With that, he charged at the monster.

Author's Note- Making monsters ish fun.. -grin- Thank goodness for that three and a half day break from school. Now my brain isn't so dead… I've been reading DNAngel! …Where I have noticed a stunning resemblance between Daisuke and Sora… -sweatdrops- I see an upcoming crossover looming on the horizon (aka impending doom, heheheh)… But until then, like I said, I'm thinking of putting some animes in here, too. I'm still up for suggestions with both animes and Disney worlds. Oh, and yeah, I'll expand more on what happened to Tam eventually. Thank you for the reviews, Doghouse and Demonsurfer. Reviews are my fuel! …As well as my imagination, heheh. –smiles and sweatdrops- So I'll try my best to get the next chapter up in the time that my author's status says, which will hopefully be soon. Please review. Ja ne!


	37. Things Aren't Always as They Seem

Author's Note-Sorry about the wait, peoples. Like I said, it would probably be a little slow since I'm getting out of a pit of writer's block and lack of inspiration. –grins- However, I believe I've gotten my inspiration back, now. I've been writing quite a lot recently, and I think it's partially due to the fact that I have just recently seen the latest Kingdom Hearts trailer. That and the fact that we _finally_ have spring break, so I can take a break from testing… -shudder- Oh, as usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything…just a few characters… -glances up at the 97 reviews- Hm… I knidawant to do something for when this fic gets 100 reviews…though I doubt it's going to be anything _too_ big. If anyone has ideas or suggestions, though, let me know. I would like to thank everyone that's reviewed so far, though, and especially the people that have stuck to this story since they started reading it, despite the recent long waits for the chapters. –smiles- It's probably the other thing that's helped me get back my inspiration, so thanks. Anyways, other than all that, there's nothing much to say here. If anything, it'll probably appear in the rant on my profile page. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Barret paused, then nodded and grabbed Riku and Bugenhagen, Red XIII following him to stand by the entranceway. The monster paid no mind to them, but more to the annoying consistency of bullets hitting, panging against it from Vincent. 

Vincent stopped, frowning slightly as he reloaded his gun with bullets. "The skin isn't pierced. As I thought: the skin is not glass. It seems to be more like diamond…" he observed. "Yukiro!"

Yukiro swung at the Heartless, but didn't break through. He frowned up at the monster-which didn't even notice him-and glanced back at Vincent. "Yeah?"

"The skin seems to be made of some diamond-like material. It won't break, not even when shot by bullets," Vincent informed him.

"Oh, fun. So what now? Target the eyes?"

"That might help."

"Might? If it can't see, it can't see."

"True, but for all we know, it may not have good eyesight already. It could possibly be relying on its sense of smell," Vincent suggested.

"With a nose like that? Are you kidding me?" Yukiro asked doubtfully.

Vincent shrugged. "Everything I've been throwing out so far has only been theories," he admitted.

"Really. Well I guess we can infer that it has a hard skin…" Yukiro said. He studied the Heartless for another moment, then called back to Vincent, "Try shooting its insides!"

"Just what I was planning…" Vincent replied as he reloaded his gun.

"Let's see…" Yukiro muttered, looking back up at the monster. "Claws…it probably has confidence in its speed. Either that or the claws are poisonous, but I'm willing to more bet the former, first. The tail is probably dangerous as well…" He frowned as the Heartless began to draw its head back. "And what is it doing…?"

In response to the question, some of the black liquid suddenly shot forth from nose of the monster and at Vincent. Vincent's eyes widened as he jumped out of its path. The liquid hit the rock, which sizzled and disappeared.

"Acid…" Yukiro noted. "Vincent! I think it fights more long-distance. I'll distract it, you just shoot," he suggested.

Vincent nodded and aimed his gun at the mouth of the beast.

"Oi!" Yukiro called to the monster, backing up a bit. The monster's head twisted to focus its red eyes on the prince. It roared, firing its black acid at him. Yukiro dodged, running around the cave as a stream of black acid followed behind him, dangerously close.

The monster suddenly stopped, letting loose another ground-shaking roar, but this time in pain. It was finally beginning to take note of the bullets lodged in its tongue and throat and mouth.

"It's working!" Yukiro said, grinning.

The monster seemed to glare down at him, narrowing its eyes. Yukiro's grin turned into a frown as he thought he saw some black and purple sparks coming from the large horns of the beast.

"What the…?" Yukiro muttered, beginning to back up.

The horns sparked again, then began to form two lines of flickering, then steady electricity, traveling between the two points. The points met, becoming one, and then beginning to feed into a large sphere of electricity of purple and black.

"Yukiro!" Vincent called.

"Yeah, I see it!" Yukiro called back. "How could I not…?" he muttered as an afterthought.

Yukiro stopped, preparing himself to dodge the crackling mass. Suddenly, a thin streak, like lightning! Yukiro's eyes widened, registering this for a moment before dodging. He winced as the streak just brushed him, cutting into his gi and shallowly into the skin, jolting his body. He landed and stumbled back a couple of steps, seeing spots before his eyes for a moment.

"You should pay more attention to its attacks. Are you wounded?" Vincent called over.

"Just slightly. And I was paying attention, I just was expecting to dodge the whole thing, not a thin lightning bolt," Yukiro shot back. "Don't worry; I can still fight."

"Good," Vincent replied, firing again. The monster roared in pain again as the bullet lodged into the roof of its mouth. The lightning flickered and disappeared. Several more gunshots and it was howling in pain again, too distracted to plan its next attack.

Yukiro smirked. "Serves it right…" he muttered.

"Oi! Yukiro, its tail!" Riku called from behind.

Yukiro blinked and looked to his right to see a large gray and silver mass rushing at him, too fast to dodge, too fast to react!

"Dammit, and you say I can't fight!" Riku growled, suddenly in front of him and stopping the tail with the point of his staff.

"Riku, what are you doing?.!" Yukiro demanded.

"What are _you_ doing? If you're gonna fight this thing, then like Vincent said, you need to learn to pay attention," Riku shot back. He suddenly felt himself jolt forward. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh what?"

"Uhm…you didn't say this thing shot acid, did you?"

"Yeah…why…?" Yukiro asked suspiciously. He glanced over at where the staff was holding the tail at bay and noticed a slight puncture, a seepage of black liquid beginning to dribble out. ...Amazing. Especially when you consider the fact that the staff was not even sharp and minus a blade.

"I suggest we move," Riku suggested.

"You move. I want to try something," Yukiro stated.

Riku stepped out of the way, pulling back his staff. Yukiro swung his staff, catching the skin with the tip of the blade and dragging it across. The puncture soon became a long gash, which was good, but it also made the seepage suddenly become a deadly acid wave.

"Now we move!" he exclaimed, jumping back, away from the seepage. Riku followed.

The monster reared back its head, letting loose a deafening roar of pain. With all the acid rapidly draining out of it, it was now beginning to become clear. Yukiro winced at the volume of the roar, but smirked as he looked up at it…

As the monster's wings twitched and began to unfold…

Yukiro's eyes widened, his smirk being replaced with a look of alarm. "Wings…" he whispered, the wave of realization hitting him like a brick. "Wings are not just simply used for flight, but rather…"

He glanced back at the outstretched wings that were now beginning to gather swirling dark energy within them. "But that would be a kamikaze attack!" he exclaimed. He shook his head. A sudden flash of light…

"Everyone! Get down!"

* * *

"You're saying that cat is still following us?" Sora asked. 

"Yeah. 'Course, I'm not surprised. Cats are supposed to have nine lives…" Tam replied. She glanced over at Bagheera. "Isn't that right, Bagheera?"

Bagheera glanced back at her. "Shere Khan is a very crafty person-"

"-Cat."

"-And while it's puzzling how he escaped from the trap you left him in, I'm not very surprised, either," Bagheera finished.

"Well, what if someone let him down? You know, helped him out?" Baloo asked.

"It's unlikely. How many people do _you_ know that would let Shere Khan on the loose?" Bagheera argued.

"…Good point."

Taro glanced around at everyone, then spoke up. "Well…what about that giant snake? What was his name…?" Taro thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, I think it was Kaa…"

"How do you know about Kaa?" Bagheera asked.

Sora blinked. "Kaa? Who's Kaa?"

"A giant snake we had a run-in with last night," Taro explained. "Tam kicked its ass, though. Sent it slithering on home."

"Well, I'd imagine…" Sora chuckled.

Tam twitched. "What's _that_ supposed to mean..?.!" she demanded. The boys only laughed.

Bagheera shook his head. "As usual, mancubs definitely do _not_ belong in the jungle…" he muttered. "But getting back to matters at hand," he continued in a louder voice, "I doubt that Kaa would free him. Even he is not that dumb."

"You sure about that…?" Tam muttered.

"Why are we even debating about this?" Taro wondered. "I mean, who cares _how_ the tiger got down-the point is that he _is_ down, right?"

Tam sighed. "Taro, you have to think ahead. You know, long term. If someone helped the tiger down, knowing that the tiger would probably stalk and try to kill us, then don't you think that means we have another possible enemy?"

Taro blinked, thinking on this for a moment, then shrugged. "So? What's your point? I've probably got a lot of enemies by now-it could be any one of them. And if it is a new enemy, then we'll just kick their ass when the time comes," he replied nonchalantly.

"Idiot. That is totally reckless-.-;…" Tam muttered. "Only more proof that intelligence lies only in the second X chromosome."

"Oh yeah? Well what about the first?"

"That's looks," Tam shot back. She grinned. "Idiot."

"Barren lands…" Sora muttered, almost to himself. He pointed up ahead, where the near-empty land could be noted from a distance by the sudden absence of canopy. "Is that it?"

Bagheera looked up. "Hm?"

"That's it, Spiky-Hair," Baloo replied.

"Yes, so be careful." Bagheera added.

"Yeah, yeah. We're not babies, so don't worry," Taro said, rolling his eyes.

They stopped where the forest came to an abrupt halt. The land ahead was gray and empty, a few sparse trees hanging over several small ponds. There were large rocks scattered along the ground, along with the occasional patches of long grass. The sky was dark, helping the gray of the vultures in the tree to camouflage.

"Genkai's training ground…" Tam muttered, her eyes skimming over the area.

"What?" Sora asked, blinking over at her.

Tam shook her head. "Nothing…" she replied.

Taro shook his head. "Barren lands… Sure lives up to its name, huh?"

Tam and Sora nodded in agreement. Baloo cupped his paws around his mouth. "Mowgli!" he called.

A boy with shoulder-length black hair and tan skin suddenly poked his head out from behind a tree. Baloo grinned.

"Mowgli!" he exclaimed. The boy-Mowgli, obviously-glared back at him.

"Go away! I'm not going to the man village," Mowgli called back stubbornly.

Sora frowned, blinking as he looked up at Baloo. "What's going on…?"

"Mowgli can't stay in the jungle-it would be too dangerous for him. He has to go to the man village," Bagheera replied.

Taro nodded. "Hm…I see…" he said. He took a few steps forward. "Oi, kid, you should probably consider it. I mean, okay, not all people are good, but I bet the village won't be that bad," he called.

"Oh yeah?" Mowgli challenged. "Who are you?"

"My name's Taro. These are my friends, Tam and Sora. We're all mancubs, too," Taro replied.

Sora glanced back at Mowgli, then blinked and frowned as he thought he saw…movement? Yes, movement! Right by the boy's feet, coming from the pond right next to him!

"Hey!" he shouted. No one seemed to notice.

…No one except Tam. Her green eyes were narrowed. By now, Sora had pretty much gathered that this was a habit, and a pretty accurate one at that. Whenever there was danger, her eyes were narrowed. She noticed.

…So why wasn't she doing or even saying anything?.!

Author's Note-Hm… Suggestions for worlds are still open, both Disney and anime. Doghouse, I'd like to check out the website, but it doesn't say the whole thing in the review, and the e-mail is incomplete, too. Just e-mail it to me or something, okie? Oh, and yeah, DemonSurfer, I know who Krad is (poor Satoshi, too... -sniffle-). DNAngel does rock. I have six, too. Ed rocks, but not as much as Roy (even if he is a bastard in the video game), heheh... –grin- Not much that I haven't said above, but my rough draft is finally beginning to grow again, which is good. Hopefully that means that I'll start having my chapters out faster. Check on my author's status to check the next estimated posting time (yeah, I know I had forgotten to update it, but I'm planning on getting to that right after posting this) and other things. The next chapter, though, will probably be out soon. So, please review! Ja ne!


	38. Echoing Memories of the Heart

Author's Note-Yay! I updated! ..Almost..not..latish… Heh. –smiles and sweatdrops- Well, I tried. These days, it's hard to tear the computer away from my little sister, and a miracle to be able to do so without a fight… -sighs- Anyways, I've been writing, and I must say that in spite of all that I'm currentlydoing, I've managed to write more than I figured I'd be able to. –grins- So hopefully that means faster chapter updates. Anyways, Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me. That should be enough to keep the lawyers away…for now, at least. –smiles and sweatdrops again- Anyways, here's the chapter.

"Mowgli!" Baloo shouted as a piranha-like fish with…legs?…suddenly jumped out of the pond to snap at Mowgli's head. Sora formed his keyblade and ran forward, slashing and killing the fish. It exploded into seemingly black ink.

"So there are Heartless here…" Taro muttered, eyes widening slightly. "Tam, Baloo, Bagheera, get ready to fight if need be. I'm betting that keyhole is somewhere around here, too," he advised, forming his keyblades.

Sora looked over at Mowgli and smiled slightly. Mowgli blinked, sensing a friendly aura coming from the boy. "You okay?" Sora asked.

Mowgli nodded a bit shakily. "U-uh huh…"

"Good," Sora said with relief. A sudden flash of white, black, and blonde from above! Sora glanced around and spotted Taro landing beside him. Mowgli looked over at the blonde as well. There was black Heartless blood staining Taro's black and white shirt.

"Thanks for you being a decoy," Taro said, meeting their gaze. He then looked up at the sky. "They seem to be attacking by both land and sky. Tam and I can probably deal with the flying ones. Think you can cover the groundwork for us? You know, cover our backs?"

Sora grinned. "So long as you cover mine," he replied.

Taro nodded. "Hopefully Baloo and Bagheera can help you with the groundwork, though I'm not sure how well they can fight Heartless…" he added. He looked up, hearing the flap of wings.

The approaching Heartless looked somewhat like vultures, only totally blackwith sharper, longer talons, sharper beaks, a goldenthird eye, and a second pair of wings on their backs. The second pair of wings, the wings that were not even supposed to be there, bore the redHeartless insignia on each wing.

Tam walked over, looking up at the bird Heartless. "Well, here comes the party…" she commented, reaching into her pocket to no doubt select which seed she would use for battle. She pulled her hand out, concentrating for a moment, then forming a long green spike.

Taro glanced over at the weapon. "What kind of plant did _that_ come from?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lemme just say this: every rose has its thorns," Tam replied enigmatically.

"…That's one big thorn…"

"Heh. All with practice of plant magic mixed with spirit energy, ki," Tam replied. With that, she promptly turned and skewered the Heartless that was about to attack her from behind.

It seemed like a signal of some sort. As soon as she stabbed that Heartless, a flock of Heartlessvultures flew up and out of the trees and out ofthe patches of grass towards them. Sora was surprised that he hadn't noticed them earlier.

The Heartless fish from earlier began toleap out of the surrounding ponds, up and if out, landing with tiny legs on the land. Their dorsal fins looked thin but razor sharp, and the yellow Heartless insignia was set against the blue scales on their bellies.

All of a sudden, complete chaos. They all began hacking away at the Heartless; even Mowgli was helping out somewhat by swiping at the Heartless with a fairly large stick.

_"Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader!"_

Sora frowned and blinked, stopping momentarily. What…?

"Oi, Sora! You alright?" Taro called, glancing over.

"I, uh…yeah… I'm fine…" Sora said, blinking. He glanced back at Taro and Tam. "You guys wouldn't have happened to have seen some kind of big monster that could be their leader, have you?"

"If we saw it, I would hope you could, too," Tam called back. She then frowned, her nose twitching as she looked back over her shoulder at the treeline. Her eyes widened. "Sora, get away from the treeline!"

Too late. Sora suddenly fell onto his stomach, a crushing weight on his back! Claws dug into him and he winced, struggling. "Get off!" he yelled.

"Oh, I don't think so, mancub," the familiar voice of Shere Khan said into his ear.

Tam glanced over, then glared and pointed her thorn at Khan. "Maybe you should listen to the kid!" she yelled, feeding a burst of spirit energy into her rose thorn. The thorn extended; Khan had to jump off to avoid it. The thorn blew past and Khan landed, growling a tiger growl.

"Thanks, Tam," Sora said gratefully, jumping up. "No prob- Ah!" Tam exclaimed, tumbling forward as a Heartless rammed into the back of her head.

Taro glanced over, eyes wide. "Tam!"

Shere Khan grinned and started toward the fallen girl. Sora ran in front of Tam, keyblade at the ready. He winced. _What am I doing?.! I'm going to die!_ he thought frantically. _But you're doing it because Tam is your friend and she needs your help…_ another voice in the back of his mind said calmly.

"Fi…" Sora muttered. He frowned. Fi? What? "Fi…" Where was this coming from? It seemed so random…

…And yet, it felt like he was doing something right. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the tip of the keyblade beginning to crackle, beginning to glow.

_Pop! Pop! Pop!_

Orange-reddish sparks, making sharp popping noises began to pour from the tip of the keyblade. Shere Khan suddenly leaped…!

"Sora!" Taro shouted, too far away to help.

Sora gasped, eyes widening as an image of a neon-lit town flashed through his mind, an image of him fighting alongside a humanoid duck and a dog, of him shooting something from the tip of his key, a ball of flame-

"Fire!"

A fireball suddenly shot from the tip of the keyblade, into Shere Khan's face! The cat let out what sounded like a cross between a screech, shriek, and roar, dropping to the ground. "Insolent brat! You're going to pay for that!" he shouted with rage.

"Wow… Forgot I could use that in battle…" Sora muttered.

"Sora!" Mowgli suddenly called. Sora, who had been staring at his keyblade in wonder, looked up and blinked, glancing over.

"Yeah?" Sora asked.

Mowgli held up his stick. "You can make fire. Light my stick!"

Sora blinked again, then shrugged. "Okay, but be careful," he replied as he took careful aim at the stick. "Fire!"

A fireball suddenly shot out, catching the end of the stick aflame. It was right on time, too, because at that very instant, Shere Khan leapt to his feet.

"Distract Shere Khan! The vultures I was talking to earlier said that he's afraid of fire. I've got an idea!" Mowgli called.

"I'll try!" Sora called back. He leapt at the tiger, swiping with his keyblade. Shere Khan jerked his head back, so the tip of the keyblade merely nicked his nose. He roared a roar that would make most grown men drop to their knees in fear, but not Sora. Khan lunged! Sora's eyes widened as he put up the ivory hilt of his keyblade.

"Sora! Look out!" Taro shouted. He tried to make his way over to his friends, but was blocked off by a new wave of crowding Heartless. He growled, glaring. "Dammit…!"

Claws hit the hilt of Sora's keyblade. Sora winced as his knees began to buckle under the force and the weight of the tiger.

_"Sora! Don't tell me you're giving up!"_

That voice… Time seemed to stop, though in reality, the flicker of memory probably only lasted for a moment. But…there was more…

_

* * *

_

_"Why not?.! It's not like I'm going to win. You're much bigger than me, Riku. It isn't a fair fight!"_

_"Oh boy. Is that what this is all about? What are you going to do if someone tries to mug you? Just act like a little baby and whine about how it isn't fair? Learn this: life isn't fair. The world isn't fair."_

_"Alright, Confucius. What can I do?"_

_"Look, Sora. You're small, kinda wimpy-looking-"_

_"Hey!"_

_"-But you can use that to your advantage. You've got speed, yeah, but best of all, you've got the element of surprise."_

_

* * *

_

_The element of surprise, that's it! Thanks, Riku…whoever you are,_ Sora thought. An image of a boy flashed through his mind. A boy with white hair and blue eyes…

"Fire!" Sora shouted. An explosion of flame suddenly shot from his keyblade.

Taro sweatdropped as the fireball blew past his head, only about five inches away, maybe slightly closer. His amber eyes were a little wide. "Hey! Watch where you're aiming those things!" he yelled. "Shere Khan is right in front of you! _I_ am not Shere Khan. Damage to me will _not_ do damage to him!"

But the very sight of the explosion was enough. Shere Khan's eyes widened and he let loose another fearful shriek, then pushed back, away from the fire-producing keyblade the best he could. He landed a few feet away. Sora landed on his back, but at least now he had Shere Khan off of him.

He winced, sitting up. It was then that his eyes caught a very pleasing sight.

While Shere Khan had been trying to crush him, Mowgli had (and how, Sora would never know) managed to tie the tiger's tail around the flaming branch. Now the insane rabid kitty was running around and around in circles, trying desperately to get away from the fire.

Taro sliced through the last of the Heartless and looked up, his eyebrows raising in surprise. Everyone stopped, blinking over at the spooked tiger and watching him run off.

Sora sighed in relief. Taro blinked.

"…Is it over…?" he asked.

Sora blinked, then grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I think it's over…"

* * *

"Envy, I see you're back," the woman with long black hair said, standing next to a short fat man with beady little eyes.

The teenager with long, greenish-black hair smirked. "That's right. So what's new?"

"Nothing, as of ye-"

"Wouldn't you be surprised," a voice said from the shadows.

The three conspirators looked up, over at the source of the voice and echoing footsteps. A man with wild red hair, green eyes, and a black coat stepped forward, a grin on his face.

The woman grinned while the teenager glanced over at the man, looking unamused. In fact, a near-annoyed look was on the teenager's face.

"Well, it seems we have a little meddler in our midst," the woman said.

"Let me eat him! Let me eat him!" the short fat man pleaded.

"I don't think that's really in your best interests," the redhead said, smirking.

"Oh?" the woman asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"Homunculi, are you not? My name is Chaos. Embodiment of darkness."

"Well, you're not human. And yet, you're not a homunculus, either," the teenager commented.

"Correct. I was formally a demon, but now I am Non-Existent. As I said, the embodiment of darkness."

"I don't care what you are. What I want to know is why we shouldn't kill you."

"You are all looking for the Philosopher's Stone, are you not? You all want hearts, souls," Chaos deducted.

"You can get us the Philosopher's Stone?" the woman asked, now interested.

"Not at all. However, I do know of something that has the same alchemic properties of the stone. They're called heart fragments…"

Author's Note-Interesting… Music from Savatage ish quite inspiring… Anyways, as you all can see, I'm _finally_ wrapping up the current worlds and getting ready to head on to the next ones. I've got one chosen for each of two out of three of the groups, just need one more… -grins- I'll figure it out, but I wouldn't say no to suggestions. The third world is gonna take a bit longer, anyway. DemonSurfer, the whole Vincent idea sounds good. And about the FFVII… -shakes head, sighing- I need to find my memory card. Well, at least I still remember most of it…and I could always play it again. –shrugs and smiles- Doghouse, yeah, I know what site you're talking about, now. It's in fact one of my research websites. I'll consider it. And like I said, I intend to go more so into Tam's past…gradually. The major info about her past comes later. Anyways, I'll try to update as soon as possible. Hopefully the update estimation on my author's status will be accurate, or at least nearly accurate. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, please review! Ja ne!


	39. OneYear Anniversary and UFOs

Author's Note-Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last update. And I have noticed something... Today is Dark Rain's one-year anniversary! Yay! So, here's a nice long chapter to celebrate. And a bag of confetti and a piece of cake. -grin- By the way, I'd like to say thanks again to everyone that's reviewed so far. Without your support, I probably would have ended up dropping this story during one of my writer's blocks. But I haven't, and now that I've gotten through those hard parts so I can write easily again, I'm glad. Thanks! -smiles- Other than that and the fact that my computer's being all screwed up (as usual) I don't have much to say here, other than a reminder that I don't own, so you don't sue. So here's the chapter!

Kiyoshi groaned. "Are we there yet?" he whined, looking up from the sketchbook that Aerith had gotten for him.

"Hm?" Kairi asked, blinking back at him. She was sitting in the copilot's seat. Tifa was snoozing in one of the cots, Kiyoshi had been lying in one of the cots, doodling in his sketchbook, and Hyotoko was sitting in the pilot's seat, flipping through the instruction manual for what had to be the _zillionth_ time, as if trying to memorize it. Every now and then he would look up and just stare off into space, zoning out. Kairi felt sorry for him. He must have had a dozen things to straighten out, to decide what to believe and what not to believe. And not only that, but…

_He must be thinking about Sakura…_ Kairi thought.

"I asked if we were there yet," Kiyoshi repeated, interrupting Kairi from her observations.

"Oh! Um…to be honest, I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever heard of Tokyo…" Kairi admitted. She turned to Hyotoko. "Hey, Hyotoko? Just how long is it going to take to get to Tokyo?"

Hyotoko blinked, being snapped out of his thoughts, and looked over at them. "Huh?"

"She's asking if we're there yet," Kiyoshi said helpfully.

"Oh. Well…" Hyotoko sat forward in his seat, pressing a few buttons on the control panel. "That mostly depends on how close Traverse Town is to at least Twilight Town. I think it was practically a few _days_ to get to Twilight Town from Tokyo," he replied. "It would probably be best for you all to find something to amuse yourselves with."

Kiyoshi sighed, his head dropping back down to rest on his sketchbook. Kairi leaned back in her chair, staring out at the infinite vastness of space. The stars…there were so many. Which one were her childhood friends on now?

Her musings were interrupted yet again by a shuddering of the ship. Kiyoshi sat up, looking around. "What happened!" he exclaimed.

"I'm not really sure," Hyotoko replied, looking out the window, searching for the source of the problem.

"I completely forgot!" Kairi gasped.

"Wha…?" Hyotoko asked, blinking over at her.

The ship gave another shudder. "Heartless ships! There are Heartless ships up in space!"

"Crap!" Hyotoko said. He looked down at the map and radar, only to see their ship surrounded by a bunch of flashing dots. "How could you forget about something like that…?.!" he demanded. He shook his head, then, without looking up from the control panel, began to hand out orders. "Kiyoshi, wake up Tifa and then both of you come over here and buckle up. And somebody, preferably somebody with good aim, take the weapons station."

Kiyoshi nodded and awoke Tifa. Tifa groaned.

"Ugh… Are we there, yet?" she asked groggily, sitting up and looking around.

Kiyoshi shook his head. "Uh uh. We're under attack!"

Tifa frowned, looking down at him. "Under attack…?.!"

"Yeah! We're being shot at by Heartless ships!"

"Hey! We're gonna need someone to take weapons ship, soon. We're not gonna get out of this just by good maneuvering!" Hyotoko said tersely.

"Well, I don't know about guns, but…sure. Why not?" Tifa said, hopping into the chair of the weapons station as Kiyoshi sat down into one of the chairs and buckled up.

_Crash!_

"Too late-we're going down!" Kairi cried.

"Going down?.! To where?.!" Hyotoko demanded.

"Right there! That planet, I think!" Kiyoshi said, pointing to the windshield and over at a world nearby.

"What? Oh, now I see it," Hyotoko said. "Well, uhm…everyone make sure they're buckled up. I'm losing control of the ship."

"You mean we're going to crash?.!" Kiyoshi cried, a fearful lookin his eyes.

"I hate to be blunt, but most likely," Hyotoko replied. "From the looks of it, it seems that they've taken out one of our engines."

Kairi frowned, looking around at the control panel. That's when an idea struck her. "What about the shields?"

Hyotoko glanced over at her. "What about them?" he asked.

"If we hit the planet with the shields on, won't that provide us with at least a little bit of protection? Maybe slow down the ship a little to lower the force of our impact?" Kairi suggested.

Hyotoko frowned at her. "Yeah, but if we did, it could cause major damage to our shield system. And in the end, that's all that's really keeping the Heartless from totally blowing us out of the sky. We wouldn't be able toe leave the planet."

"We'll be able to fix it! In the long run, it's a whole lot better than ending up dead," Kairi reasoned.

Hyotoko paused, considering for a moment, then nodded. "Good point. Okay, here goes," he said. He studied the control panel for a few moments, then turned the shields up to maximum power.

Kairi glanced over at Kiyoshi, whose knuckles were white from gripping the arms of the chair, whose eyes were tightly shut. _Poor kid. He's probably remembering the last time he crashed…_ she thought. "Hey, Kiyoshi? Don't worry. Everything will be okay, you'll-"

And then everything went black.

* * *

"So…we were right. This place _is_ a ghost town…" the blond said quietly. 

"What could have done this…?" his younger brother wondered.

"If not an army of chimeras, then a psycho alchemist on the rampage," the blonde suggested. He frowned, observing the area. "Strange, though. There's no blood anywhere. And there's barely even the signs of a struggle. It's as if everyone just dropped everything and left…"

The younger brother turned to his sibling. "Niisan, you don't think the next town will be like this, do you…?" he asked.

"No telling. Best we can probably do is just catch the next train and see," the blonde said, crossing his arms, eyes closed, his typical thinking position for considering.

"But the next train won't be arriving until tomorrow…" the younger brother reminded.

"Right. I suppose we should look for refugees to pass the time…at least until nightfall. And let's not forget to look for information on the stone. That is why we came here, after all," the blonde reminded, starting down the street again.

The younger sibling began to follow, then glanced up at the sky, seeing something streaking down. "…Niisan?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that…?"

"Hm?" Amber eyes turned up to look into the sky. Before he could reply, the falling star-if that's what it was-slammed into the ground a couple blocks away. The explosive force of the impact was enough to demolish a building or two (which they hoped was abandoned) and throw up a huge dust cloud. Both sweatdropping and exchanging glances, they ran over to the source, stopping at the edge of the large crater. In the center was what looked like a colorful, somewhat large (about maybe the size of a refrigerator truck)…spaceship?

The blonde hesitated for a moment, frowning as he thought this over. Then he looked up at his younger brother. "Let's check it out," he said, starting over to and down into the crater. His younger brother sweatdropped, then sighed and followed.

"Okay, niisan…"

The blonde scaled down carefully. When he was close to the bottom, he called, "Hello? Is anybody there?"

"I think the real question is if anybody is even still alive in there..." the younger brother stated.

He had a point. Despite that the ship probably should have suffered a lot more damage than it did, it was still pretty smashed up. The entire front had been crunched tightly, like a tin can. The whole ship was smoking and sparking, and occasionally a blue light would flicker around it. The windshield was smashed, and the door was probably jammed.

The older brother nodded, moving a bit closer. By now, he couldn't have been more than five feet away from the door. "Hello? Is anyone even alive in there?"

"Hello?.! Is somebody out there?.! Help us, please!" a young voice came from inside the ship.

The blonde's eyes widened a bit. "A kid…?.!" he muttered. He frowned. "Alright, hold on. We're going to get you out. Is anyone else in there with you?" he called.

"It's just me and my three friends, but I don't think any of them are moving!"

"Well, just hang in there!" The blonde turned to his younger brother. "Hey, think you can check out the front?"

"Yeah, okay," the younger brother replied, starting over to the front.

"Now, to get this door out of the way…" the blonde muttered, clapping his hands together and placing them on the door of the ship. There was the crackle of energy, then suddenly a hole formed. It wasn't too big, but big enough. He climbed through, peering through the darkness that seemed only lit by the sparks of the ship and the ever-dimming light outside. Sharp pieces of metal and glass could be heard crunching under his boots. He just hoped that none of them would pierce his left boot.

"Hello?" he called, looking around. One of the seats jerked, a head popping up and turning to look at him.

"Over here!" the child called.

The blonde climbed over something. It felt like a cot… "How injured are you…?"

"Not too injured. …Mostly cut up…" the kid replied.

"Can you get out?"

"Yeah, I think so… I mainly couldn't get out because of the lack of exits."

"Well, we have that mostly taken care of…"

"Alright, thanks." With that, the boy unbuckled his seatbelt, sliding out of his seat and almost into the back of the chair in front of him.

"Careful. The floor is at a slight tilt, so…" the blonde warned.

"Okay…" the boy said, climbing his way out.

The blonde grabbed onto the now-empty seat, clinging on to look around. In the seat beside his and diagonal to his, he saw two girls, badly cut and unconscious.

"Niisan!" the younger sibling cried.

"Yeah?"

"The kid up front-I think you're right behind him-he's hurt really bad. Not only is he cut up, but there's a long shard of glass that seems to have gone entirely through his shoulder!"

"What?.!" The blond frowned. "Do you think you can get him out? There's two others in here that need help. Besides, you can probably get to him at a better angle."

"Yeah, okay…"

About ten minutes later, everyone was out. The young boy that had spoken earlier was huddled off to the side. Indeed, he was cut up badly and looking quite afraid. When the blonde fully emerged from the ship, the boy's eyes widened.

"Taro!" the boy exclaimed.

The blonde and his younger brother exchanged glances. "Um…no," the blonde said. "My name is Ed. Edward Elric…"

The boy blinked, then brushed some black hair from his eyes and tried to wipe some of the blood away from his eyes, wincing from the pain. "Oh… Sorry. Just with the amber eyes and blonde hair, you looked a lot like my cousin, Taro. But Taro's hair is short and spiky. And he's a lot taller-"

"I AM NOT SO TINY THAT YOU COULD MISTAKEN ME FOR A DUST MITE!" Ed yelled, eyes glowing red and going into evil chibi mode.

The boy blinked again, shrinking back meekly. "But…I didn't say that. Taro is tall. He's sixteen," the boy amended. Of course, the boy could see now that height wasn't the only difference. Ed did have amber eyes and blonde hair like Taro, but his hair was long, tied back into a braid and his bangs were long. His shirt was black and white, and over that he wore a long red coat and white gloves. And well...the boy had to admit it. Ed was short. The boy was only a few inches shorter than him.

"…Really -.-;…" Ed said.

The boy nodded. "My name is Insei Kiyoshi…" he said. "And my friends' names are… My friends!" he exclaimed, eyes widening. He jumped up from the large rock he had been sitting on, wincing again.

"Calm down. We got your friends out-now they just need medical treatment, like you," the younger brother assured him, stepping forward. "And as soon as possible…" he added quietly.

Kiyoshi looked over at the younger brother, still alarmed, but now at the fact that the younger brother seemed to be in a huge, dark gray suit of armor with long white hair in a ponytail and a loincloth, and now he had the realization that they could very possibly be…

He glanced back over at Edward, then back at the younger sibling.

Ed blinked. "…What?"

Kiyoshi glared. "…Are you a Heartless?" he demanded to the younger brother.

The younger brother sweatdropped, his red eyes becoming dots as he put a hand behind his head and the other hand up in defense. "What? Uhm-"

"And are you a Dark Knight? A Non-Existent?" Kiyoshi demanded, turning his glare on Ed, fingering something in his pocket. "Are you associated with the Heartless in any way?"

Ed frowned. "What?.!" He marched over to the boy and promptly hit him over the head, making the boy fall back down onto the rock.

"Ow!"

"Niisan -.-;…" the younger brother sighed, sweatdropping.

"We just saved you _and_ all of your friends, so just who are you calling heartless?.!" Ed demanded.

The boy blinked, frowning. "Just who am I…" He suddenly looked quite surprised. "No! I'm talking about the monsters, not the trait!"

Ed and his brother exchanged glances. "…Monsters…?" Ed asked.

Kiyoshi frowned. "You mean…you guys don't know…?"

Ed blinked. The younger brother seemed to decide that he should probably introduce himself, before any more wrong assumptions could be made. "Um, well… My name is Alphonse Elric, but you can just call me Al. I'm his younger brother," he said, pointing down at Ed.

Kiyoshi rubbed the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "Oh… Sorry about that. With all the armor on, I thought you were a Heartless…" he apologized.

"It's okay," Al assured him.

"So, Kiyoshi…can you stand?" Ed asked.

"Last time I checked…" Kiyoshi said, standing up. He suddenly wavered; the ground began to rush up at him-

"Woah. Easy there," Ed said, catching the boy. "Last time you checked was a couple of minutes ago, and by now, you've probably lost a lot of blood." He looked up at the sky, then over at Al. "It's already getting dark. We're going to need shelter."

"Yeah, okay. But how are we going to carry all three of them to shelter if you're helping Kiyoshi?" Al asked.

"Hm… Well-"

"I'll walk," Kiyoshi interrupted. The brothers both looked over at him. Ed blinked. "You guys help my friends. I'll walk with you guys on my own," Kiyoshi continued.

Ed smiled. "You know you're too weak to. Don't be too proud and too stubborn to accept some help when you need it."

"It's not that." Kiyoshi said. He frowned, lowering his head. "It's just…I promised my friend I'd be strong… And even though it's been nearly a week since then… I have yet to fulfill it."

Ed sighed. "Fine, but if you start to wobble or slow us down, we're using another method. Got it?"

Kiyoshi nodded, straightening. Ed turned to Al. "Hey, Al, you get the two girls. I'll get the boy."

Al nodded, picking up the two unconscious girls. "All right. But be careful with the boy; his injury looks pretty serious," he said.

Ed nodded. "I will," he said, going over to the other boy. He couldn't help but flinch when he saw him. Al was right. The boy _did_ have a long shard of glass sticking through his shoulder. And that added to other wounds… Well, let's just say that all and all, he was in pretty bad shape.

Carefully, Ed picked up the boy and nodded. "Right… Let's go."

And with that, they started off.

Author's Note- Heheh… If you can guess the world they're in now, I'll give ya a cookie. Demonsurfer, yes, I agree with the rock thing. So does metal, of course, that's usually with fight scenes. Oh, and my bishi of the week doesn't really last for a week, just until I go into a new anime phase, which could range from a couple weeks to a couple months. -smiles and sweatdrops- Congratulations for getting 100th review! You get pocky and two plushies of your choice. Everyone else gets a one plushie. Doghouse, yes, I do hate Kairi. I hate her a lot. Unfortunately, as an author trying to get everyone in character, I can't really have favorites. And about the diamond thing, well…they do say that diamonds are a girl's best friend, heheh. –grin- Well, I shall try to update soon, so please review. Ja ne!


	40. Monkey Business

Author's Note-Sorry for taking so long, guys. It's the last week of school next week and the teachers are trying to pile as much work as they can on us. I've had several projects and tests to deal with, and next week I have exams. Luckily, I'll finally be free then. The rough draft is going fairly well (even though I've had to scramble around for lost pages..I'm so disorganized.. -.-;; ), so after tests and stuff, I can get a whole lot more done. But, to make it up to ya guys, here's a nice, long chapter. As always, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now, on with the fic!

"Everyone alright?" Yukiro called, pushing the last rock off himself and sitting up, looking around.

"We're all still _alive_, if that's okay…" Riku called back.

Yukiro glanced over at him, who was helping up Vincent. "Good enough…" he sighed, climbing painfully to his feet. "Where's Barret, Red, and the old man?" he asked.

"Near the entrance, close to where they were hiding," Riku replied, 'glancing' over at him. "They're okay, more or less."

"Good." Yukiro turned to the door and glanced back at them all again. "I'm going to go on ahead. Be back in a moment…" he said. He walked up to the double doors, placing both hands on each. He paused, his face serious, then pushed the doors open.

Crossing the threshold, he entered a ravine and looked up at the statue of a large cat that looked remarkably like Red XIII. The statue stood atop a cliff, its head looking up to stare at the stars that shone brightly in the velvet black sky. Underneath, embedded into the cliff was a large keyhole, about the three feet tall and about a foot wide.

Blue eyes frowned at the darkness swirling around the keyhole, and the darkness that was almost inside. He then closed his eyes and shook his head. "Gotta purify it. Nothin's easy," he sighed. He walked over to the cliff side, leaping up the ledges to the keyhole. He paused when he reached it, then touched his heart. He withdrew his hand that now had a ball of light resting on the fingertips, much like the time he purified Riku's heart. The hand was lifted, palm pointed towards the opening of the hole. The light was gradually absorbed, and any darkness and Heartless that was tainting it was already cleared away.

Yukiro sighed, his shoulders slumping as he stepped back, off the ledge, and came to a gentle and easy landing on the ground. "Now for the barrier…" he said, forming his bladed staff and raising it up over his head. In one hand, he twirled it, faster and faster until it was a blur, nothing more than a circle of light.

"Light is my circle, it is my shield,

And now it is needed for the keyhole not yet sealed.

A barrier of light, I need to create

To save this world from the darkest of fates.

Barrier, keep the darkness away,

For when I am gone, the protection must stay.

Only those with hearts of light are allowed inside

That is the new law all must abide

Arise!"

There was suddenly a shimmer of light before him, like a curtain, a wall of sparkles falling particularly from nowhere at all. The staff came to an immediate halt and Yukiro quickly lowered it. He smiled weakly. "Purification and then protection spells… I should have gotten more training in magic from Brigit…" he said tiredly.

In his weariness, he didn't notice the bat Heartless sneaking up behind him, the one Heartless he had missed. Suddenly-

"Gahhh!" Yukiro yelled as something yellow, something sharp stabbed into the back of his right shoulder. He blindly swung his staff back and the blade hit the winged creature. His shoulder drooped as weight was added to the stab and he dropped to his knees, wincing as he yanked the sharp tentacle out.

"Dammit…" he managed to say. Already, he was feeling light-headed. His vision was already beginning to blur from the poison. "I shouldn't have been so careless…" With that, he fell face-forward, passing out.

"Yukiro! You alright?" several calls sounded out.

Vincent, Riku, and Barret ran over, stopping in the doorway. There was a moment of silence as they looked around, and then spotted the prince.

"Prince Yukiro!" Vincent exclaimed, running to Yukiro's side. Barret and Riku began to follow and…

…That's when the unexpected happened.

Vincent passed through the newly-formed shield of light, as did Barret. But Riku…

He hit the barrier, but he did not pass through. Instead, it held him for a moment, he was stuck, and he cried out as thousands of voices invaded his mind, millions of memories came surging forth. _Memories that were not his._

Vincent stopped and whirled around, his gun already in his hand and aimed. But he didn't fire, and his red eyes widened as he saw what Riku could not see. The boy's body was filled with darkness, completely black like a three-dimensional shadow. A red mark, a Heartless sign suddenly formed on his chest, small but visible. Several flashes of darkness, then the flickering, ghostly appearance of a body. But…the body was not Riku's. It was a body of an adult, a tall grown man with a strong, muscular frame. Long silver hair swirled around him, making him look as ghostly as ever.

The blindfold seemed to burn away, incinerated. The eyes snapped open, and Vincent's blood froze. For one eye was steely-blue, silver in the right light, and the other eye was amber…

Vincent's eyes widened. "It can't be…" he whispered.

Suddenly, it was over. Riku's body flew back and slammed into the canyon wall, clearly seen as Riku again on impact. He groaned and slumped to the ground. He looked up, eyes still open, oblivious to any pain it may be causing him.

That's when he spoke, but when he did, it was in a voice that was not his own. Instead, it was quieter, older. "Ah, I see now. My theory was correct. Everything is coming back to me, the true…"

The words trailed off. Riku blinked, looking puzzled. "Gah!" He shut his eyes, finally feeling the pain from the faint light.

Vincent did not lower his gun and his eyes narrowed.

"What happened to my blindfold…?" Riku muttered, feeling the floor around him. He stopped, sensing a bit of hostility glowering from Vincent and 'looked' over. "Vincent? What's wrong? What happened?"

Though Riku couldn't see it in the normal sense, he 'saw' Vincent's figure pointing something at him. A gun. His look grew grim, especially at the suspicion and the harshness in Vincent's tone, and the question that went with it.

"…Just who the hell are you…?"

* * *

"Baloo, Bagheera… I'm sorry for running away. I guess I understand now. Why I shouldn't live in the jungle. I'm not a panther…or a bear, or a wolf, or an elephant. I'm just a mancub, nothing more," Mowgli sighed as they headed back.

"Cheer up, Mowgli. It's not that bad being a mancub," Taro said.

Sora nodded. "Yeah. Mancub or not, you were a big help in the battle against Shere Khan. We couldn't have done it without you."

"Yeah. Not bad for a squirt," Tam joked, ruffling Mowgli's hair.

"Hey!"

"But a _tough_ squirt," Taro added, grinning.

"I'm not a squirt!" Mowgli shot back as Taro, Sora, Baloo, and Tam laughed. Bagheera merely shook his head, but smiled as he rolled his eyes. Taro smiled nostalgically. Mowgli did remind him a bit of his younger cousin, a bit in personality. He would have reacted the same way.

"Hey, we'll be passing King Louie's castle on our way to the man village, right?" Tam asked.

"Hey, yeah. We're supposed to get that other thing they promised, aren't we?" Taro asked, being snapped out of his thoughts. "What was it?"

"Some kind of card or whatever, but supposedly it's really important to Sora," Tam replied, glancing down at Sora.

Taro shrugged. "Well, it just might be. Hell, maybe this is what will restore Sora's memory," he suggested.

"Maybe," Tam agreed doubtfully. "But let's not get our hopes up."

Taro shrugged.

Sora was silent, lost in thought as they made their way through the jungle. Finally, he asked quietly, "Taro? Who's Riku?"

Taro glanced down at Sora, blinking. When Sora saw his questioning look, he decided to continue. "It's just that…even though I barely know who I am, I sometimes have these fragmented memories. I can hear voices, and sometimes I even get a glimpse of all these different places and faces. I think they're memories, but they're like the scattered, unnumbered pages of a book; I'm having trouble piecing them all back together."

"Huh…" Taro murmured. "Well…hm. What can I say about Riku…?" He thought for several moments, then said, "You know something funny? I knew Riku for a few months; he lived with us. But…I never really knew him long enough to actually describe him. At least, not the real Riku. He pretended to have amnesia until the last minute. Nah, I can't really tell who he was, but I can tell you what he _did_, and maybe then you can make your assumptions from there."

Sora blinked, then smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Taro."

"No problem."

"Save the stories for the ship, you guys. It might actually achieve killing some of the boredom. Besides, we're here." Tam said, glancing back at them and pointing up at the stone ruins of the castle.

The two boys nodded and everyone made their way into the castle.

Tam gave the boys a nudge as they walked down what was once a hallway. Taro glanced over at her. Sora was too busy looking up at the canopy that had seemed to have replaced the ceiling.

"What?" Taro asked, blinking.

Tam jerked her head over at some movement in the trees. "See that?" She asked in a low voice.

Taro caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and frowned. "Yeah. What is it?"

"Monkeys. We're not coming in with any surprises," Tam replied.

By the time they had gotten to the throne room, King Louie was indeed well-informed of their arrival.

"Welcome back," King Louie said. "Did you take care of Shere Khan?"

"To an extent, yes. I don't think he'll be back to bother you guys anytime soon. Now hand over the card," Tam replied. Taro and Sora sweatdropped, exchanging glances. This girl really could be in the mafia or something…

"Now, wait, wait, wait! What about the Heartless? Have you sealed the keyhole?" King Louie questioned.

"Er…" Tam started. She, Taro, and Sora exchanged glances. "No."

"Then you don't get the card."

"Now hang on a minute! Getting rid of Shere Khan was hard enough! We all nearly died. I think we deserve the stupid card!" Taro snapped.

King Louie jumped down from his throne to get up into Taro's face. "Now see here, mancub-"

"Look, you dumb monkey! We fought your little battle, now pay up!" Taro shot back.

As the two argued, something caught Sora's eye. The carvings in the throne… They all came together to form one shape, a hole…

…A keyhole…

"Um…guys?" Sora said. Nobody really seemed to notice. Sora shrugged and formed his keyblade, pointing it at the keyhole. The point of the blade began to glow.

Meanwhile, Tam looked around the ruins. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she spotted a dark and gold figure standing atop one of the walls. As soon as it appeared, though, it was gone. She turned her gaze downward, and she blinked, her green eyes widening slightly as she noticed Sora's keyblade beginning to glow, then the keyhole before them.

Sora felt the keyblade. It had life, practically a mind of its own. Suddenly, a light shot from the tip, about to feed into the keyhole…

When it stopped. The darkness inside the keyhole rippled, some sort of barrier. Taro and King Louie fell silent, turning their attention to watch the boy's struggle.

"The keyhole won't lock!" Sora exclaimed.

"Maybe it's the wrong key…" Taro suggested.

"No. So long as the keyblade is of light, I don't think it really matters," Sora replied, frowning with worry. "Hm…" He was suddenly struck with an idea. _Maybe if I add my own energy to the keyblade's, it will be enough power to break through the barrier! It's worth a try!_ Sora began to feed his energy into the keyblade. Taro watched with surprise, seeing the change that Sora was too distracted to notice.

The hair of the young brunette was being upswept. He was encircled with light, several gleams spun around him, growing thicker and thicker, like a cyclone almost, and what looked like glowing snowflakes rose up into the air around him, disappearing when they were high enough. It looked as if he was almost…floating?

The beam grew wider. The barrier began to cave inward, vibrating, swirling, rippling with darkness.

"It's working! Sora, keep trying-I think you've almost broken the barrier!" Taro cheered.

The light suddenly blew a hole through the darkness. They heard an echoing click inside as the opening of the keyhole was covered over with stone. Whatever was left of the barrier dissolved and disappered into a dark mist.

Taro grinned. "Alright!"

The encircling light around Sora disappeared. The brunette dropped to his knees in a sudden wave of weariness, his keyblade disappearing, but smiled.

"You okay?" Taro asked, blinking.

Sora glanced back at Taro, still smiling, and nodded. "Yeah…"

Taro nodded and then turned to King Louie, smirking. "You were saying…?"

"…Fine. Take the dumb card," King Louie grumbled, tossing the card over to him grudgingly.

Taro caught it. "Thanks…"

"Hey, Taro," Sora called, "Come take a look at this…"

"Hm?" Taro asked, walking over. He looked at the floor in front of the keyhole where something had fallen. "What's this…?" he wondered aloud, picking it up and turning it over in his hand.

It looked like a keychain. It was shaped like a small yet somewhat wide, single-pointed leaf, and it was striped orange and black. The thin metal was hard, like gold, yet somewhat flexible. Though along one side, it read in gold letters, 'Tigerfire.'

"It looks like some kind of keychain," Taro replied.

"For your keyblades?" Sora asked. Taro blinked at him, then closed his eyes and grinned.

"Nah. You keep it. You deserve it," he said. "Besides, you're supposed to be the hero of this story; I'm just the bodyguard, from what I hear. Here." He tossed the keyblade to Sora. Sora caught it and blinked, then smiled.

"Uh... Thanks..."

"Don't mention it," Taro said.

They suddenly heard a 'thud' behind Taro. "What the…?" Taro muttered. He turned to see that Tam had collapsed, unconscious. His eyes widened. "Tam!" he exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling by her side. "Tam! Tam! Wake up!"

"Taro, what happened?" Sora asked, too weak to stand up and see.

"I don't know. She just suddenly passed out," Taro replied tersely.

"We should probably start heading back to the ship, then," Sora said. He stood up about halfway, then fell back down again. "Uhm…"

"Right…" Taro said, standing up and shoving the card into his pocket. He turned to Baloo and Bagheera. "Can one of you guys help out Sora? I can get Tam," he said.

Baloo nodded, walking over. "I can," he said. "Let's go, Spiky-Head." He picked up Sora and turned to Taro, who was picking up Tam. "Lead the way, kid."

Taro blinked, having just then realized that he wasn't all too clear on _where_ exactly the ship was. "Well, uhm…" he started, looking around. "Crap…"

Bagheera, seeing the blonde teen's plight, turned to King Louie. "Perhaps you could send us an escort. I'm sure you monkeys all know where this ship of theirs is," he suggested.

King Louie rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine…" he said. He called one of the monkeys over. "Go show them where their gunni-"

"Gummi," Taro corrected a bit absently.

"_Gummi_ ship," King Louie corrected, once again rolling his eyes. "You know where it is."

The monkey nodded and set off for the ship. Bagheera, Baloo, Mowgli, and Taro followed, carrying their two friends along with them.

Author's Note- Meh…not much to say here. I gotta say, though, I'm a bit relieved that school is ending so I'll have more time to work on this. Not to mention that my little sister's birthday was today… It's a busy month. –swirly eyes- Heh, Doghouse, don't worry. Like I said, I'll get more into Tam's past. In fact, we may have a couple of character appearances, though I'm not making any promises.. –grin- And yes, Demonsurfer, I do agree. FMA does rock. Even though the 'Farewell Ceremony' episode ish sad… -sniffle- But, I think the character that died in that episode is still going to be alive in this story, so no worries...I think… Namine3419, Riku is my favorite KH character, too. He's cool _and_ he's easy to torture! –insert evil anime girl laugh here- But seriously, he is awesome. Shion20, FMA is somewhat easy to identify, isn't it? But, it's not entirely an anime. In fact, I heard that the video game came out first and the anime was built around it. Anyways, hopefully I'll have the have the next chapter out quite soonish. Just gotta get through finals and all that other crap over the week… So, please review! Ja ne!


	41. The Past is Inescapable

Author's Note-Hey, peoples. Sorry about the long wait, I've really been slacking off since school ended. –smiles and sweatdrops- Anyways, I may take a bit longer than usual. I haven't given up on the story, but I have fallen back into a lack of inspiration, so the rough draft (which I'm catching up to again) may be going pretty slow. But for taking so long, I've made this chapter really long, too (part of this is actually freehand, since I didn't really like what I had in my rough draft.) Anyways, I don't own Kingdom Hearts so don't sue me. Enjoy the chapter!

It happened as he was walking back to the lab.

_Flash_

He suddenly was no longer in the hallway of Hollow Bastion, but a canyon instead, a ravine. He felt his back hit the wall and he fell to the ground. He heard footsteps approaching and he sat up, looking over at the source while ignoring the pain.

It was a man. He had shoulder-length black hair and a long red cape. His red eyes were wide with surprise and suspected fear. His gun was pointed.

_Vincent…Valentine…?_ Silence, for that was who was watching this, thought with slight surprise.

He looked down at himself. Black coat, pale skin, _shoulder-length_ silver hair? …Riku…

"Ah, I see now. My theory was correct. Everything is coming back to me, the true…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes caught glimpse of another sight. Beside Vincent laid a boy. A boy, more of a young man now, with long white hair pulled back into a low ponytail and garbed in white and light blue clothes. Silence's, or Riku's, really, eyes widened, but before he could say anything, it all faded away…

Suddenly he was back, lying on the cold hallway floor of Hollow Bastion. He climbed to his feet, pondering everything he had just seen. Vincent, Riku…

…And Yukiro…

Yes, there was no mistaking it. Maybe Yukiro was about ten years older than he was when last seen, but there was no way Silence could ever forget that face.

"Yukiro, you brat… What are you doing back? I was hoping your brother had taken care of you, as ordered, but I suppose my theory of him still being too weak was correct…" Silence said aloud.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. Nothing was easy. If you wanted something to be done right, you just had to do it yourself.

But then he smiled a smile that was not very pleasant. Perhaps this was a good thing. Seeing Prince Yukiro again may not _so_ bad. After all, that brat was going to get was coming to him. He and his brother.

Not to mention the new information he had just obtained. Finally, Silence had found him. His first step to ultimate power.

…Riku…

* * *

"Good thing the door to this place was unlocked…" Ed said, setting Hyotoko down on the couch his less-injured side. Al nodded. 

"I'll go find some beds for these two," he said.

"Alright. See if you can find some cloth, too. These kids' wounds need to be cleaned," Ed replied.

"Right."

Kiyoshi collapsed into the nearest chair and watched Ed start over to another room. The younger boy blinked. "Anything I can do?" he asked.

Ed glanced back at him. "Not unless you have any kind of medical experience," he said.

"Well…no, not really…" Kiyoshi admitted.

"Then just sit back and rest. I'll be right back with some water and bandages," Ed assured, walking out.

Kiyoshi sighed, wracking his brain for any kind of medical information that might come in handy. He knew his mom had a Worst-Case Scenario book lying around the house somewhere, but he never really read it that much. Now he was wishing he had.

Al came back with some towels. Ed returned after him balancing a bowl of hot water, bandages, and alcohol in his arms. They set it all down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Hm, now let's see… I know we should leave the glass in until we think the wound is stabilized, but I don't know. Al, what do you think? Does it look stabilized to you?" Ed asked, examining Hyotoko's major wound.

"Well, the only major thing I can see it doing damage to is a tendon or something. It looks like the bleeding will probably slow down in a few minutes-ten, at the most," Al replied.

Ed nodded. "Yeah. Well, until then, let's work on bandaging other wounds. I'll go help the girls. You take care of the kids in here," he said.

"Okay, niisan," Al said as Ed went into the other room to get another bowl of hot water. Al went over to Kiyoshi to help him out, since he didn't want to risk moving Hyotoko more than they had already.

"You should go help Kairi or Tifa or Hyotoko. I can bandage myself, really…" Kiyoshi muttered weakly. Al glanced back at Ed, who was gathering up several towels, bandages, alcohol, then balancing all that with the bowl of water into another room upstairs.

"Don't worry about it-niisan is taking care of them. Since you're actually conscious, why don't you explain what's going on?" Al suggested.

"…" Kiyoshi glanced out the window. "Do you know why this town seems to be abandoned?" he asked.

"Not really. Niisan said it was probably an army of chimeras or a psychotic alchemist. This isn't the first abandoned town we've been to, after all," Al replied.

Kiyoshi's eyes widened. "There's others?.!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, but that was about a year ago. The people abandoned it because a bunch of chimeras started running around and attacking people, so they built a new town," Al explained, thinking back to when they went to Hiessgart.

"But nothing like this has happened until right around now, has it?" Kiyoshi asked quietly.

"No, not really. It does seem pretty strange…" Al admitted.

"So the Heartless _are_ already here. Man…" Kiyoshi sighed.

"Heartless?" Al asked. He thought for a moment, then realization seemed to dawn on him. "Oh yeah. You mentioned something about those earlier," he said.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Sorry again for calling you one, by the way…" he apologized.

"It's okay. But what exactly are they?" Al asked.

"The Heartless? They're monsters…" Kiyoshi said.

"Monsters?" Al asked. "You mean like chimeras?"

"Er…" Kiyoshi wasn't too clear on the definition of chimeras, given the fact that he had never before seen a real one back in Twilight Town, or even Tokyo. "Is that a fused animal?" he asked.

"Yeah, something like that," Al replied.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Then…I guess they're something like that," he replied. "But…they're much scarier. They're shadow monsters of darkness, people that have had their hearts stolen."

"Stolen…?" Al asked. Something about that unnerved him, but then, if some kid had come from another world and said that monsters were ripping out the hearts of others… "You mean the organ, right?"

"I don't think so. Hearts as in more like souls," Kiyoshi replied.

"Souls…you don't say…" Al said, rubbing the back of his head as the words 'soul transmutation' flashed through his mind for some reason, and then memories of the homunculi from the whole Lab Five incident. Soulless creatures…

"Yeah…" Kiyoshi said, nodding. "I know it sounds crazy. Especially if you guys are scientists. I don't have too much trouble believing it, because my sister and I learned a lot about the supernatural from our mother, but…"

"It's okay. We've had our encounter with the supernatural ourselves," Al assured him. "After all, I'm speaking to a real live alien, aren't I?" he added cheerfully.

Kiyoshi blinked, then smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"Though I'm curious. Why did you come here? Are you a refugee?" Al asked.

"Well…something like that…" Kiyoshi said, frowning. "See, it started not too long ago. I lived on another world for nine years called Twilight Town. It was pretty peaceful; nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. My friends, sister, and I were being trained in the martial arts by our parents, but that's mostly the only fighting we've ever really had to do. Until one night just recently… That's when the Heartless came, along with their leader, which is called a 'Non-Existent…'"

* * *

_"Not too bad, Kiyoshi. You're really starting to improve," Sakura complimented._

_"Really? You think so?" Kiyoshi asked._

_"Of course. Would I lie?" Sakura asked playfully._

_"You would to be nice…" Kiyoshi pouted._

_Sakura laughed and walked into the house. "Hey, wait for me!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, starting after her. He stopped in the doorway as a small glimmer caught his eye. He looked outside, then up at the sky. "Rain…?" he muttered as the clouds began to cover up the moon. "But it's not supposed to rain this week…" He shrugged. "Oh well…" He turned and walked inside, over to the computer room where his mother was typing something. _Probably her book…_ he thought._

_The glow of the computer reflected off his mother's glasses. The woman wasn't very tall-only about 5'2, maybe shy of 5'3, and had long red hair with hazel eyes. Redheads were uncommon in Japan, the world they were from. Aside from the glasses and the hazel eyes, she somewhat resembled Kiyoshi's uncle, though somewhat younger since she was the youngest of her brother and sister._

_"Hi, Mom," Kiyoshi asked._

_His mother glanced over. "Kiyoshi, you're home already? And your sister?" she asked, blinking._

_"She's home, too," Kiyoshi replied._

_"Normally you two are home much later… Aoshi must have gone easy on you two tonight with the training," Mrs. Insei said, smiling._

_"Nope! We're getting much better, so we were able to finish it faster," Kiyoshi replied proudly._

_"So you are getting better," Mrs. Insei said, standing up and ruffling his hair. "Well, I'm sure you and your sister are both hungry. No doubt Sakura is already in the kitchen looking for some dinner. And I am a bit late getting started on it. I just need to get this story to my editor before the deadline…" Kiyoshi watched her walk out of the room to the kitchen and followed._

_As Mrs. Insei began to take stuff out of the refrigerator, the phone suddenly rang. Sakura, who was sitting at the table drawing something, walked over and picked up. "Insei residence. May I ask who's calling?" she asked. She blinked after a moment, then nodded. "Just a sec…" She handed the phone over to Mrs. Insei. "It's for you. It's Aunt Tsuki," she said._

_Mrs. Insei blinked, then nodded and leaned against the counter as she took the receiver. "Hey, Tsuki. What's up?" she asked her older sister. After a few moments, she frowned. "No, I don't… Hang on, let me ask the kids…" she said. "Kiyoshi, Sakura? Have either of you seen Riku?" she asked._

_"Last time we saw him was when we were saying goodbye at the skyscraper. Didn't he go home with Taro?" Sakura asked, blinking._

_"She said that Riku told Taro that he needed to be somewhere and left, saying he'd be home later. But it's almost two hours later, it's starting to storm outside, and he still isn't home," Mrs. Insei replied. To Tsuki, she said into the phone, "They haven't seen him since he and Taro started to your place," she said. "I'll call Sanosuke and Megumi, though. Maybe he's at Hyotoko's." Pause. "Okay, I'll call you back in a few minutes. Bye."_

_Hoshi frowned as she dialed the Takani house's number. When she had finished, she waited for a few moments, then frowned and hung up. Kiyoshi blinked._

_"What's wrong?" he asked._

_"Did Hyotoko say he and his family were going to be somewhere tonight?" his mother asked._

_"His parents are going to a parent-teacher conference at school or something, but Hyotoko was planning to stay home…"_

_"Hm… Well, Hyotoko's not picking up…" Mrs. Insei said. She hung up, then dialed the number for Megumi's cell phone. After a moment she said, "Hello? Megumi? Yeah, this is Hoshi. Yeah, I know, you're in a conference. Sorry. It's just that Riku has disappeared. I tried calling your house, but Hyotoko's not picking up." Pause. "Yeah, the phone just kept ringing…"_

_She paused again. "Yeah," she said quietly. "It may be a good idea to go and check on him. Well, I'm going to call Tsuki again. Let her know you haven't seen him. Any news, then let me or Tsuki know," she said. She hung up and sighed, dialing Tsuki's number._

_"Hello, Tsuki?" she asked. "No, they haven't seen Riku anywhere. You could tell Saitou to tell the other officers to keep an eye out for the boy…" She blinked, her eyes widening somewhat, then turning away, looking out the window so Kiyoshi couldn't see her face as there was a crash of thunder and flash of lightning outside. "Hang on," she said. She turned to look down at Kiyoshi. "Kiyoshi, could you go get your father?" she asked._

_Kiyoshi blinked. "Er…sure…" he said, walking out. _What's going on…?_ he wondered. _Mom seems so worried…_ He went to the room where his mom kept most of her magic stuff, and where his father would go to meditate. He poked his head into the doorway. "Um, Dad…?" he asked._

_His father looked up from his meditation. "Yes?" he asked. Kiyoshi took a lot of traits from his father. The black hair, the blue eyes. It was Sakura that resembled their mother._

_"Mom wants you," Kiyoshi replied. "I think it's important…"_

_His father frowned somewhat, then nodded and stood up, following him to the kitchen. "Yes?" he asked as he entered the kitchen, seeing his wife's worried face._

_Mrs. Insei paused for a moment, then smiled down at Kiyoshi and Sakura. It was a fake, weak smile, but she was trying. "Sakura, why don't you and your brother go watch TV?" she suggested._

_Sakura blinked, a bit of a suspicious look crossing her features, then nodded. "Okay…" she said, walking out. "C'mon, Kiyoshi."_

_Kiyoshi paused, looking back, then nodded and followed her out. He shut the door behind him, however, when he did, he pressed his ear to the door._

_"Kiyoshi…!" Sakura started, but Kiyoshi held up a hand to silence her as he listened._

_"I don't like this… What if they're here? What if they followed us here?" Mrs. Insei asked. Kiyoshi frowned. She sounded worried. And whom was she talking about? Who were 'they?'_

_"Calm down. They would have gone to Tokyo and your brother and friends would have taken care of them there," Mr. Insei assured her._

_"But who can be sure? They can't be defeated with ordinary weapons, Aoshi. Besides, what if that boy was one of them? What if Riku came here to…"_

_"I doubt it. Nothing's happened yet, has it?"_

_"Something _has_ happened. Tsuki says that Saitou's officers are disappearing one by one. They've tried calling the officers but they're getting no response, just static."_

_"That could be from the storm…"_

_"I don't think so. She said it started to happen right _before_ the storm…"_

_Pause. Then, "Well, if they came, they came. The only thing we can do at this point is fight."_

_"Kiyoshi…" Sakura started in a slightly shaky voice._

_"Shhh!" Kiyoshi said, still trying to listen to the conversation._

_"Kiyoshi…!" Sakura tried again, this time a bit more urgently._

_"What?.!" Kiyoshi whispered, turning to her. He blinked when he saw that Sakura's eyes were wide, watching something out the window. He slowly turned to window and yelped when he saw two large, golden eyes peering back at him. He jumped back, seeing that it was a black monster that was almost as big as he was. "Wh-what is it…?.!" he started._

_Sakura shook her head. "I have no idea…" she replied._

_"What's going on in here?" Mr. Insei asked, opening the door._

_"Um…" Sakura started, looking back over at the window._

_Mr. Insei followed her gaze and his eyes widened slightly. "Sakura, take your brother to his room and don't come out. Don't open the doors or the windows to anybody or anything no matter what, and be prepared for any possible attacks."_

_"But Dad-" Sakura started._

_"_Now_."_

_Sakura frowned, then nodded and dragged Kiyoshi to his room. "But…but…!" Kiyoshi objected._

_"Kiyoshi, Mom and Dad can probably handle it. They're not tough fighters for nothin…" Sakura replied. Kiyoshi frowned, immediately going over to the window that showed the front of their house. His eyes widened._

_"Sakura!" he cried. Sakura ran over and her eyes widened as well, but then they narrowed._

_"Dammit, we're surrounded…" she said._

_"What are we going to do?" Kiyoshi asked._

_"You are going to do nothing," Sakura said as she checked to make sure all of her weapons were with her. "I'm going to go out to help Mom and Dad. You stay here."_

_"But you can't! They said not to!" Kiyoshi said. "Besides, I don't want to be left here all alone…"_

_"Kiyoshi…!" Sakura sighed and turned to her younger brother. "Look…this isn't the wisest choice maybe, but if Mom and Dad can't stop them, what's going to keep them from coming in here afterward? We don't have much of a choice but to fight, but I want you to stay in here, Kiyoshi." She smiled weakly back at him. "After all, one of us has to hide to survive, and you're the youngest, so I guess you're automatically the volunteer."_

_"What?.! But Sakura-"_

_"In case nobody comes back inside, wait here and be ready for a fight. Wait until Taro gets here and give him that box with that charmed keychain inside, especially if he's swinging around a giant key. Mom said so." She ran into the doorway, then turned back and smiled. "And Kiyoshi…be careful. Okay?" she said. Before he could respond or protest, she ran out, slamming the door behind her._

Author's Note-Once again, I apologize for taking so long to update. School's been out for awhile, and I tend to work during that time, so I've been in a bit of a lack of inspiration. About the last names and stuff (if you recognize the names 'Saitou', 'Sanosuke', 'Megumi', and 'Aoshi', heheh) and why they're not going by 'Shinomori', 'Sagara', and 'Hajime', that will be explained later on. Why they're in Twilight Town and not in Meiji Japan, as well as how Kiyoshi's parents seemed to know what was going on will also be explained later. Now, to respond to reviewers... -hands Doghouse a cookie- You're actually not far off from discovering why Tam passed out. That will be revealed a bit later. And yes, Yukiro pain and any character pain ish good. That's why I do it.. -grin- Shirozora, thanks for the review! The scenes and stuff I've seen to KH2 have been used in this, including some characters like BHK. Demonsurfer, I will tell you right now, he will not be a zombie, heheh. You know who... -grin- And Namine3419, thanks for the reviews (even if they are filled with evil laughs, heheh.) As you can see, I'm updating right now. -grins and sweatdrops- And I hope to update soon. Just remember that reviews are always motivating, so the more reviews I get, the sooner I update (I hope.) -smiles and sweatdrops- Okay? Thanks. Ja ne!


	42. Protection

Author's Note-Yay! I'm seventeen now! –had her birthday on June 22nd- Cake for everybody! –passes out pieces of cake to all the readers- Anyways, I was planning on posting this on the 22nd, but I've been pretty busy lately. At least I got this out sooner than last time, I think. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out soonish, but I need to add a bit more to my rough draft (it's starting to catch up with my final draft again.) I hope this chapter is long enough, so enjoy!

* * *

"My parents were gone and I caught view of Sakura running off… I followed but only got there in time to see her and Hyotoko being kidnapped, and our friend Riku being tortured. Hyotoko says it was all just a misunderstanding, but I don't believe it. So I have to find my cousin and my sister, not to mention my uncle…" Kiyoshi finished.

"You need to think about getting better first. Besides, your gummi ship is all smashed up. How will you leave?" Al asked.

"I don't know…" Kiyoshi said, frowning. "Couldn't you guys fix it with alchemy or something?"

"We'd have to know what it looked like when it was in one piece, first. We'd need blueprints or something. Can't reassemble the atoms if we don't know where they go."

"Then we're stuck here," Kiyoshi said miserably.

"Sorry. Hopefully we'll be able to figure something out at Central; I'm sure someone over there will have an idea…" Al assured him.

Kiyoshi smiled slightly. "You really think so…?"

Al nodded. "Uh huh," he replied.

Kiyoshi's eyes wandered over to glance at Hyotoko. "The bleeding… It looks like it's slowed down," he said suddenly.

"What?" Al asked. He glanced back at Hyotoko, then nodded. "Yeah, it looks like you're right…" He stood up. "I'm going to go get Ed. I'll be right back…" he said, walking out. Kiyoshi sighed and looked around. Looked out the window, spying a bit of movement…

Wait.

Movement?

_But the Heartless killed everyone in this town… Which means…_ Kiyoshi thought. His eyes widened and he gasped as a golden eye suddenly snapped open, staring at him. _They know where we are!_

He suddenly heard scratching, something clawing on the front door. He tried to stand to get into fighting stance, but fell right back down. _Oh no. I've lost too much blood. I can't even stand up…!_

He barely noticed the approaching footsteps of Ed and Al, but the Heartless apparently did. As soon as the blonde and his younger brother stepped into the room, the monsters had disappeared.

Kiyoshi sighed in relief as the golden glow in the window disappeared. He hadn't noticed until then that he had been holding his breath. "Heartless… I saw Heartless outside the window…" he explained.

Ed and Al exchanged glances. They didn't know what to think of Kiyoshi's Heartless story, or at least Ed didn't. But then, judging from the look on the child's face, he had to have seen _something_ outside.

"…I'll go check it out. Al, you stay here," Ed said, toning down his voice just in case someone unfriendly was outside and quite possibly listening in.

"Alright. Be careful, niisan," Al said.

"Wait!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, frowning. "You're not actually thinking of going out there, are you? The Heartless will kill you! You can't fight them with normal weapons."

"Huh?" Ed asked, glancing over at him. "Well what _can_ I fight them with?"

"You need a keyblade," Kiyoshi replied.

"A keyblade?" Al asked.

"A big sharp key."

"Well, don't worry. I'll only be a minute or two. And if I run into those Heartless, I'll just use my alchemy," Ed said. "You guys just stay in here and be careful. I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and over to the front door. Upon opening it, his eyes widened slightly.

Gashes. Long, deep carvings streaked across the door. Well, that did prove something. Heartless or not, _something_ had been there. Those gashes had _not_ been there before…

Ed took a few steps out the door, into the cool night air. "Hello?" he called. "Anybody out there? Hello?"

He suddenly caught the sight of movement through the corner of his eye. A chilling gust of wind made him flinch. He kept his ears and eyes focused intently for any trouble, which was why he did not notice the ice until it was too late…

"Gah!" He cried, his feet flying out from under him. He winced, sitting up. "What the… How did ice get out here? It's only about sixty or seventy degrees!" he demanded.

He then smirked slightly as he climbed to his feet. "Oh, I see, now…" he said. "Well, whoever you are out here, that just gave you away!" he called. "It's too warm for ice to freeze out here; that had to be alchemy!"

Ed took another step forward. Where was this antagonist? They certainly weren't giving anything away with noise. It was so quiet out…

"Ah! What the?.!" Ed cried, stumbling forward as a blade cut into his back. But then he grinned, the pain momentarily forgotten. "Gotcha!" he said. He clapped his hands together, transmuting his arm into a blade as he whirled around. His eyes widened and his cocky grin turned into a look of surprise when he saw what his attacker looked like, though.

It wasn't very tall, only about half of Ed's height. It nearly had a humanoid shape, but it was pitch black-almost a dark purple or blue. The eyes were large and glowed amber. The hands weren't really hands at all, but what looked like short, automail blades like his. Decorating its chest was a red heart design, and on the top of its bare head was a transmutation circle where in the center was…a red stone?

It didn't stand still, but slid on each foot in place, as if trying to maintain its balance on ice.

"A chimera…?" Ed wondered aloud as the monster merely stared at him. Suddenly, it raised up on one toe and twirled gracefully, like an ice skater or a ballet dancer. Ed got into a defensive stance, ready to guard against any attack the monster threw at him. But…no attack came. Instead, it stopped to face the open doorway and started to slide in.

"Al! Kiyoshi!" Ed yelled, running over to stop the creature. Unfortunately, the fresh wound in his back slowed him down slightly. That and…

"Dammit!" Ed cursed, slipping on the forgotten patch of ice and landing on his face. He raised his head slightly, yelling, "Al! One of those monsters is coming in! Shut the door, hurry!"

"Niisan?" Al asked, coming into view of the doorway.

"Al, shut the door!" Ed yelled.

Al shut the door, but the Heartless managed to slip in from under his legs. Whether it was noticed or not, Ed didn't know-he hoped it was.

He climbed to his feet, noticing that he was surrounded by dozens of the monsters from before. But added to the last type was a new kind as well.

It was a bell shape that floated. A black ball and pointed hat topped with a red stone was at the top of the cone-most likely a head. They flew around with a chiming sound. They each had the heart design on their chests, and they had transmutation circles going from the center down on their hats. They were stripped, red and blue, green and yellow, ect.

Ed looked around for a few moments, then smirked. "Alright then, let's do this," he said, getting into fighting stance. The Heartless moved in…

* * *

"…Just who the hell are you…?"

Riku frowned. "What are you talking about? I'm Riku…" he said.

"You're more than just Riku," Vincent accused. "Who else?"

"Who else…? Vincent, what's this all about?"

"You mean you don't know…?" Vincent lowered his gun, but kept his finger on the trigger.

"Know what? What are you talking about?" Riku asked impatiently. This was starting to annoy him. What were they doing? They were going in circles…

"It's as I thought... Yukiro must have seen it beforehand, as well... And yet he didn't tell you, obviously…"

Riku's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What?" he asked.

_"That's a bit of a gamble, isn't it? I mean, we nearly got killed to get here and the person that we're looking for might not even exist."_

_"Like we have a better option? Look, we don't have much of a choice. If you don't figure out a way to control the darkness in your dreams and in your heart, then something horrible is going to happen."_

_Yukiro… What was he talking about…?.!_ Riku wondered, his eyes widening in realization. He frowned slightly. _He knows somehing. He's hiding it... What is it..?.!_

"What the hell are you kids doin!" Barret suddenly demanded. Vincent and Riku both looked over at him-well, Vincent with sight, Riku with his Heart's Eye. Barret straightened, Yukiro's limp form in his arms. "This kid here is dyin and all you two are doing is standin around bickerin!" the man continued.

Vincent paused, glancing back at Riku. He then sighed and twirled his gun, putting it back into its holster. "We'll talk about this later. Don't think this is over," he warned Riku. He walked over to Barret. "How is he?"

"He seems to be running a fever. We'll have to get him out of this cave and to some medical attention soon," Barret replied.

Vincent nodded. "Let's go, then."

Riku listened to the conversation, but didn't rush over to join them. _Something just happened there... What was it? My mind was suddenly flooded with memories and unfamiliar voices. It was like dozens of dreams…_

As he slowly stood, he ripped a bit of fabric off the bottom of his shirt and tied it around his head and over his eyes. But what his memory saw was something that his eyes had never seen. At least, not in this lifetime…

* * *

_"Perhaps you should send some Heartless to follow the boy, or even Roxie," a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, identified to be a Dark Knight, a Non-Existent named Elena told him. "Surely one of them knows the location of Valentine; they were his closest friends."_

_"Roxie is one of us now. Besides, you've interrogated her already, haven't you?"_

_"Well…yes… But the kid-"_

_"-Is smarter than he lets on. He is rash, yes. As well as stubborn and perhaps somewhat immature, however, still intelligent. If he's followed, it won't be long before he figures out our plan."_

_The woman sighed as they reached the top of the stairs. "By the way, if I may ask, how is the progress of the prince going?"_

_

* * *

_

"C'mon. We're leaving," Vincent said.

Riku 'looked' up at him, then sighed and nodded. "Yeah…okay." The group walked out, Barret carrying Yukiro.

* * *

_"Yukiro…"_

_That voice…it was so familiar…_

_"Yukiro! Quit sleeping!"_

_Crystal blue eyes opened. "Wha…"_

_"Prince Yukiro, wake up!" the young girl ordered. Yukiro's eyes widened when he saw who it was. Dark blue eyes, long black hair in a ponytail…_

_"S…Seika…!"_

_It was Seika, only much, much younger. Eight or nine years old, if he was right._

_And as he stood up, he realized with a bit of shock that that was now his age, too. Looking around, he could see that they were in the garden of the Gaian castle. There night was warm, though not unpleasant. The white castle loomed overhead, but not ominously. The night was peaceful. It was something that Gaia had lost just before he had to leave. Its peace…_

_"This has to be a dream…" he whispered._

_"This is a dreamworld, yes," Seika replied with a slight frown. "But I'm real. And this is more than just a dream, but a world from a memory. Remember this night, Yukiro…?"_

_Yukiro thought for a moment, but then smiled. "How could I forget…?" he asked, looking up at the balcony of the lit ballroom. "This was the night of mine and my brother's ninth birthday…"_

_Seika nodded and smiled. "Yeah. It was," she agreed quietly._

_"Seika… What happened? Am I dead?" Yukiro asked, frowning slightly._

_Seika glanced over at him, blinking, but then smiled a smile that was slightly sad. "No," she replied. "Just within a shield."_

_"A shield?"_

_"Yes…a shield from death."_

_Yukiro's eyes widened. What had happened?.! He faintly remembered being stabbed, but…it couldn't have been that bad. Could it?_

_"It was poison," Seika replied, as if reading his mind. "And a lethal dosage at that. Don't you remember?"_

_"Oh yeah. That Heartless…" Yukiro muttered. Now it was coming back to him. The Heartless that had stabbed him had been poisonous._

_"Yukiro…" Seika said, turning back to face him. His eyes widened as she suddenly embraced him. "You have to stop being reckless. You have to stop him; he's looking for me."_

_Yukiro frowned as he hugged her back. "Him…?"_

_Seika pulled away slightly and looked up at the balcony. Yukiro turned, following her gaze. His blue eyes narrowed at the man that had silvery-white hair and amber eyes. He knew who it was._

_Quietly, his voice a bit bitter, he said, "I suppose killing him here and now wouldn't do much good in the conscious world, would it?"_

_"No…it wouldn't…" Seika admitted, frowning._

_"Dammit…" Yukiro sighed. He looked back up at the man. "But how could he…and why…?"_

_"It's not specifically me that he's after; it's who I've become. He wants to find the Wishing Star, Yukiro. He wants to find your brother."_

_"Wait a second. Who you've become?"_

_"Yes. I have returned, but…not as myself. It is a different young girl…"_

_

* * *

_

Author's Note-The last part is when I was trying to climb out of the pit of no inspiration, so it may not be that good… Demonsurfer, don't worry. How could I forget the most important character of the show? He'll be in there soon enough… -grins- Oh, and yeah, Hyotoko ish the 'evil' one. I just prefer the word 'misunderstood.' Samurai Champloo, I'm actually considering. I'm not too sure about S-Cry-Ed, though. I haven't really gotten into it. Doghouse, yeah, I was planning on putting in what happened to Kiyoshi and Sakura sooner or later. Just had to fit it in somewhere… As for Riku, you'll find out soon and as for Tam…well, it may be a bit longer than soon. –smiles and sweatdrops- Namine3419, I like Kiyoshi, too. He's so cute and innocent. –grin- Little kids are fun to write… I think updated earlier than usual, lol… So I'll hopefully have the next chappie out sooner. Please review (birthday reviews!) –grins- And hopefully my motivation will continue to build. Ja ne!


	43. Reaquaintances

Author's Note-Wow..sorry for taking so long. I went on vacation, wrote more, came back, slacked off a bit, started school, and started writing a lot more. So hopefully I'll start updating a lot sooner since for some reason I write more in school... Thanks for all the reivews so far. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything else except for the original characters and Gaia. So anyways, on with the fic!

* * *

Green eyes opened slowly. "Huh…?" 

Taro turned in his chair to see that Tam was finally awake. "Tam? You're okay!" he exclaimed, walking over to the waking girl and sitting on the edge of the small cot.

Tam sat up, looking over at the blonde. She blinked, then nodded slowly. "Uh huh…" she replied quietly. She looked around. _We're…back on the ship…_ she thought. "What happened…?"

"You passed out, so we had to carry you back to the ship. Sora fell asleep soon after we got here…" Taro explained, smiling.

"You mean…you actually managed to get the gummi ship to take off without my help…?" Tam asked.

Taro nodded. "Yep," he replied. "It wasn't too hard after all the help you gave me."

She blinked again, but then looked away, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "for all the trouble I've been causing you guys. I must be a real burden…"

Taro blinked, surprised at this almost random apology, but then smiled. "Hey, it's okay. We should be thanking you. Without your help, we'd have never made it this far. Hell, we probably would have a lot more trouble in that battle without your help. Thanks."

However, this only made the redhead frown even more. "Look…Taro…"

"Approaching planet. Approaching planet," the ship's computer suddenly announced.

"Huh…?" Taro asked, getting up and walking over to the control consol. Tam sighed.

"…Where are we headed?" she asked.

"Some world called Traverse Town, it looks like," Taro replied.

"Traverse Town…?"

Taro nodded. "Yeah. Looks like we can get some rest here," he said. He smiled. "Not to mention that the others might be here…"

Tam nodded. "Yeah. Great…" she replied quietly.

Taro frowned again as Tam looked away. He sighed. _What did I do to upset her? I'm never going to understand women…_ he thought.

The ship came down and landed in the lit town. Taro walked over to Sora. "Oi, kid," he said, shaking the brunette. "Time to wake up."

Blue eyes opened sleepily. "Wh-what…?" Sora mumbled.

"We're here," Taro replied.

"Where's 'here?'" Sora asked, sitting up and looking around. He seemed to have gained his strength back, or at least most of it.

"Not sure, exactly. Apparently some place called 'Traverse Town,'" Taro replied.

"Traverse Town…" Tam repeated in a murmur.

Taro glanced back at her and blinked. "Have you ever heard of it?" he asked.

Tam blinked, then held up her hands and shook her head. "What? Me? Of course not!" she said, smiling.

"Ah. Okay…" Taro said, turning back to the windshield to look out at the view of the planet. As he turned, Tam looked down and frowned.

Sora looked over at her and blinked. What was wrong with Tam? _Maybe she's just tired…_ he thought. Something told him otherwise. What happened while he was asleep?

The ship settled down in front of a large gate. Taro pushed a few buttons and the door opened. He stepped out into the night air, followed by his two friends, and pushed the large doors to the town open. His golden eyes scanned over the colorful bright little square. It would be considered almost cheerful, if only it wasn't so empty.

"Where is everybody? This whole thing reeks of Heartless…" Taro commented grimly.

"Wait! I think I see people over there!" Sora exclaimed, pointing out a group in the shadows of a nearby café.

Taro and Tam looked over as a man dressed in mostly black emerged from the shadows, his hand cautiously going to the weapon he carried. The man's serious look quickly turned to surprise when he saw the newcomers.

"Sora!"

Sora blinked. Taro raised an eyebrow, he and Tam looking down at the younger boy. "Friend of yours?" Taro asked.

Sora shook his head. "I can't remember…" he reminded.

"Oh yeah. Your memory. Right," the blonde sighed. He peered at the stranger, taking a few steps forward to get a better look. He blinked. "Wait…Hyotoko?.!"

"Squall! Squall-" a girl's voice started.

"It's Leon."

"-Did you say Sora was here?" A girl with short black hair asked as she came out of the shadows.

Taro blinked, then looked somewhat disappointed when he saw that the man wasn't his childhood friend.

"Uh…hi…" Sora said, smiling slightly and rubbing the back of his head.

Tam raised an eyebrow. "Who are you guys?" she asked.

"Who are we? Who are you?" Yuffie asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes a bit.

Tam noticed the suspicious looks coming from both the girl and Leon, then remembered that she was still wearing Taro's black jacket. She smiled and sweatdropped. "No one important…" she said. She turned to Taro, taking the jacket off and handing it to him. "By the way, I almost forgot to return your jacket to you.." she said.

Taro blinked, then sweatdropped to see that the suspicious stares had turned to settle on him. "…Gee, thanks."

Tam simply gave him a 'better you than me' smile in return.

Sora blinked at the two a bit cluelessly, then smiled at the young man and woman. "Hi. I'm Sora. What are your names?"

* * *

"Those wretched little brats…" Shere Khan growled as he emerged from the river. "I'll rip them limb from limb…" 

"Did I come at a bad time?"

Shere Khan looked up to see a red-haired man, Chaos, standing on the rock before him. From the trees came a young girl with long, golden hair. The girl was almost as quick and agile as a monkey. Machi.

"You…!" the tiger said accusingly.

"You failed to destroy Sora, and let him seal the keyhole. Our contract has been terminated," Chaos said calmly.

"But you didn't say that the boy could make fire!"

"Fire?" Chaos asked, grinning a bit homicidally at the tiger. "You mean like this…?"

There was a sudden dreadful shriek echoing throughout the jungle as the tiger went up in flames.

"The poor kitty. I would've wanted to keep him as a pet…" Machi commented, watching from her perch up on the branch.

"He was a bad cat, Machi. He would've tried to eat you. Now, down to business. Did Winterfall do her job?"

"She tried to keep the barrier up for as long as she could, but the cute brown-haired keyblade wielder overpowered her and popped it!" Machi replied.

Chaos turned to blink at her, then looked back at the fire, he expression unusually thoughtful. "Hm… Despite his loss of memories, it seems that he may still be stronger than we intended…" He grinned. "Good. I need a good fight."

"By the way, what about the youngest boy? The ninja one…?"

"The homunculi are probably dealing with him for now, if he's happened to stumble across that world. Of course, I'll probably have to check on them soon. They didn't quite strike me as the brightest flames in the fire."

"Homunculi?" Machi blinked.

"Non-Existent ones. Like us, but not quite the same," Chaos mused.

Machi blinked again, then shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just keep tailing the wielders."

"I suppose we should get to leaving now. There is nothing left for us here…"

With that, the two Non-Existent disappeared into a black mist. The only proof that they were even ever there was the lump of charred, smoking tiger lying next to the river.

* * *

"I hope nii-san's okay…" Al said, watching the door. "Those creatures…they didn't look normal. They were like…chimeras or shadows or something…" 

"You see? Those were Heartless!" Kiyoshi said, frowning. "What happened to Ed?"

"He's fighting the Heartless outside. Don't worry, he'll be okay," Al assured.

However, this just caused the younger boy to frown even more. His eyes suddenly wided. "Al!"

* * *

Contrary to belief, Ed was _not_ faring as well against the Heartless as well as he had hoped. Sure, he could slice through the Heartless and they would disperse, like figures of ink disappearing into a vapor almost. But more just kept coming. Not to mention that the wound on his back was still bleeding freely and slowing him down. And the fact that these creatures kept covering the surrounding street with ice. 

_Dammit! How are they doing it?.! They're completely ignoring the principals of equivilent exchange!_ he thought. _And not only that, but…just where in the hell are they all coming from?.!_

Another claw scraped against his automail arm, followed by a ball of fire and lightning hitting the wound on his back. His amber eyes widened and he cried out as he felt himself being electrocuted, stumbling forward. He slid and fell forward, onto his face. Too many…there was just too many of them…!

As he lifted his head, he couldn't help but wonder how Al and Kiyoshi were fairing. Though he had complete faith in Al's fighting ability… _Just stay alive in there, guys. Don't die on me now…_

_

* * *

_

As these thoughts were being thought, Al was using a shotei punch (open palm fist) to knock away the Heartless that had managed to slip inside away from Hyotoko. The Heartless went flying back into the corner.

However, it merely sprang back up, bearing its blades. Al got into fighting stance. Kiyoshi attempted to stand, but fell back into the chair. _Oh no! I'm still too weak…!_ he thought a bit frantically.

"Don't worry, Kiyoshi. I'll fight it," Al assured him as he kept his eyes on the Heartless. "I'll protect you and your friends."

Kiyoshi frowned. "But…!"

"You're too weak to fight. Just keep yourself safe."

The Heartless leapt forward. Al countered with a punch, but the lengthy blades of the creature managed to dig into one of the leather gloves and the chest plate of his armor. There was a long pause as Al mentally panicked, praying that the blade left his bloodseal untouched.

Kiyoshi's eyes widened. "Al!" he cried, afraid that one of his friends was seriously injured, or worse, dead.

"Don't worry. I'm okay," Al assured, knocking the Heartless away.

"But your wound…" Kiyoshi started.

"It'll be fine. This is really tough armor," Al replied.

Kiyoshi was unconvinced. He had seen the blade go almost entirely into the armor with his own eyes, and it was a fairly long blade. But Al didn't _sound_ hurt…either he was really good at hiding it, or that suit of armor was really roomy… "Al, lookout!"

Al looked back over at the Heartless, seeing that it had landed gracefully and was now rebounding in what was practically a quick glide. Al was already in fighting stance, but there was no need as a blade suddenly appeared in the Heartless's path. The monster ran into the blade and fell back. Both boys looked over at the new fighter.

Surprisingly enough, it was Kairi. The redhead smiled over at Kiyoshi. "I figured you and Hyotoko might need some help," she said. She then looked up at Al, recalling how big and fierce the Heartless that Sora had fought were.

She got into fighting stance, blue eyes narrowed a bit. Amazing. She had never used a blade, hardly had even the slightest bit of practice with weapons of…well, any kind, really. The only fighting she really knew was what Tifa had taught her in karate and what she had seen her friends do in sparring matches. And yet…she somehow knew what to do. It must have had something to do with the bladedheartstaff. It wasn't controlling her, exactly, but quite suddenly, her mind and body knew a whole lot of techniques now that she didn't know a second ago.

"Who are you? Are you a Heartless?" she asked warily.

Al seemed to go bug-eyed as he held up his hands-a universal sign of peace. Kiyoshi and Kairi could almost swear they spotted a drop of sweat on the armor's helmet. "What? No…I'm Alphonse Elric. _That's_ a Heartless. I think," Al replied, pointing down at the twitching Heartless on the floor that now lay on its back.

Kairi looked down at the Heartless. "Yep, that's definitely a Heartless, alright…" she sighed, relaxing a bit.

Al looked her over. "Are you sure you should be up yet? Nii-san _did_ just finish bandaging your wounds, after all…"

Indeed, the princess had a bandage wrapped around her head, as well as her arms and stomach. She shook it off, though. "I'll be fine. And nii-san? You have an older brother somewhere around here?" she asked, looking around.

"Yeah. Ed's fighting some Heartless outside at the moment," Al replied.

"Right…" Kairi said, stabbing down at the Heartless at their feet, which was just starting to get up again. It twitched, then withered and faded away.

The girl then frowned a bit, looking back up at Al. "Think you can handle anything that comes in here? Your brother may need help. Those Heartless are no pushovers, as you may have seen."

"But…your wounds…"

"They'll be fine. Once Kiyoshi and I are strong enough, we'll be able to fix all the damage up with healing spells," Kairi said, smiling up at him.

"Healing…spells…? You don't mean like magic, do you?" Al asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

"Yep. Kiyoshi can explain. Take care of my friends while I'm gone," Kairi said, waving when she got to the front door and shutting it behind her.

"Wait! I don't think that's a good i-" Al heard the door shut and sighed. "-Dea. Why doesn't anybody ever listen to me..?" he groaned. He turned to Kiyoshi. "Now what's this about healing spells…?"

"Oh, well our friend Aerith taught Kairi and I a healing spell before we left Traverse Town. She can use magic," Kiyoshi explained, smiling slightly.

"I see…" Al said, sounding a bit unsure.

"..All a load of crap, if you ask me…" a voice said off to the side.

"Huh…?" Al looked down to see that the brunette boy on the couch had awoken. "Oh, you're awake…"

"Hyotoko!" Kiyoshi exclaimed.

"Yo…" Hyotoko said calmly, trying to sit up. Kiyoshi and Al watched with surprise as Hyotoko didn't seem to even register the pain or the glass in his shoulder. Rather, a confused frown was on his face. _My arm… I can't seem to move it at all. Why…?_ the brunette wondered.

His brown eyes traveled down to the shard of glass and widened a bit. His frown deepened. _What the…?.! This doesn't make any sense… Why can't I…_

"Hyotoko…can't you feel it?" Kiyoshi asked, a bit of a worried frown upon his face as well.

"N-no…" Hyotoko admitted.

_Is his arm paralyzed? Or could it be something else? Hm…_ Al thought a bit grimly. Whatever it was, it was taking away the pain from Hyotoko. Most likely not a good thing. Something was up with this kid…

* * *

Author's Note-Once again, sorry for taking so long to update. Hopefully, now that I'm writing more, I can get back onto the 'posting once a week' schedule thingy. Probably gonna be on weekends when I update most often, though.. As for those reading Lost Souls, I shall try to update that more often, as well. It may just take a bit longer since I'll admit, I'm a bit more dedicated to this fanfic and this one comes first... Demonsurfer, I agree. Poor Riku. He's fun to torture.. -grin- And yes, I'm thinking that it's either a cross between magic and alchemy, or just entirely magic. I'll figure it out.. -nodnod- Namine3419, I'm glad I wrote more to Riku, too. And I shall continue to do that, lol. Yes, Samurai Champloo rocks, and I'm definately considering putting it into Dark Rain. The question ish, which group should go to that world..? (Suggestions are welcome. -smiles and sweatdrops-) Doghouse, I'm glad you like both of my fanficcehs. Thankies for the voodoo doll! I shall use it well. -nodnod- And yus, the Heartless are purtiful. It ish fun to make monsters, lol... As for what's going on with Yukiro...well, hopefully what would be a better explanation ish that he's not waking up from the poison, Seika's heart ish creating a shield to keep him from dying and his heart leaving him, and creating some sort of dream world in his mind with of old memories so she can speak and explain to him... Somethin like that. It'll all probably become much clearer later. And yes, poor Ed. Because he is fun and easy to torture. Like Riku (which by the way, Riku, that should answer your question..) -grin- Kingdom Alchemist, thankies! I'll update whenever I can, now that I'm writing much more again. Andd yes, I know. I matched some of the traits up with the actual characters whenever I could so I could fill some of the gaps in their mental traits and abilities (since this is one of my first times using them as teenagers, after all.) Tsuki Kimoto (that girl), lol, thankies for the review. But sheesh..locking your son up in a dark place? I can see why Taro ish so screwed up in the head, now, lol.. (nah, he's not that bad, lol..) And no, I do not normally Yahoo (unless for pictures.) I Google. -grin- And sheesh, that was a lot of replying..long author's note.. So anyways, I'll hopefully have the next chapter out probably by next week (as well as the next chapter to Lost Souls, hopefully.) I may even get my rant and author status updated (for those that actually read that, lol..), though that I can't promise.. Anyways, please review and I shall try to update sooner. Until then, ja ne! 


	44. Shield of the Heart

Author's Note-Sorry for taking so long guys. School has had me swamped. Anyways, I'm sure everyone doesn't want to have to sit through the author's note, so I'll just say that I don't own Kingdom Hearts and that I have already accumulated a vast number of graves from all the lawyers coming here… -grin- So, enjoy the fic.

* * *

Once the group had emerged from the cave, Bugenhagen and the others began to head up to the observatory. Bugenhagen looked over at Red XIII. "Nanaki, I need you to run to the items shop and get several potions and antidotes. Our friend seems to be in pretty bad shape, so hurry," he said. "We'll meet you in the observatory." 

Red XIII nodded. "Yes, Grandfather," he replied, taking off in the direction of the items shop.

"Actually, our friend seems to be doin somethin pretty weird back here…" Barret said, looking down at the limp young man in his arms.

Yukiro was still unconscious, still a deathly pale color. He was trembling, as if he were freezing, yet really, he was burning up. Vincent frowned slightly. He couldn't remember the last time the prince of light had been in such bad shape…

...But the strange thing was that Yukiro was glowing blue…

"Hm…" Bugenhagen said, frowning.

"Could it be from the poison…?" Barret asked.

"It's someone's heart…" Riku said, recognizing the light. It would have to be a heart-the light and darkness of people's hearts was all that he could see, after all… Though he couldn't see the details of anyone, or how sick Yukiro looked, he could see a limp figure of bright light, surrounded by a darker light, but not so dark that it was malicious… Almost as if…it was a medium intensity of light, like it was balanced between being as bright as Yukiro…and as dark as Silence…

"Say what?" Barret asked, glancing over at the blind boy.

"You're a bit off… It's not someone's heart, but this is being created from one. Someone's heart is projecting a shield around his, keeping him alive," Vincent explained. "His heart, his soul will not leave his body since it is trapped within by the light…"

"But who would be doing that?" Riku asked.

"No idea. Hopefully someone on our side…"

* * *

"So all your memories are gone?" Leon repeated. 

"Most, yeah," Sora replied. He and the others were now in the small house in the Third District. He, Taro, and Tam had gotten showers and a meal. Taro was sitting on the small bed in one of the corners, his jacket off, showing his black and white attire. Tam was perched on one of the boxes in another corner. And Sora was sitting at the table in the center of the room. The others, the people that they had met in the house and outside in the First District, were now listening to their story.

"Oh, I can't believe this! How could anyone possibly forget me?.!" Yuffie exclaimed over-dramatically.

"Yes, how could they…?" Cloud said dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"Hush up…"

Sora watched them, then frowned, hanging his head in shame. "…Sorry…" he said quietly.

Aerith smiled gently and took a seat next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," she reassured comfortingly. "You'll get your memories back little by little, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah! I mean, Cloud once had a little identity crisis of his own, but he got over it. We got to see the real weird him. Isn't that right, Cloud?" Yuffie said cheerfully, glancing over at the blonde.

Cloud glared back at her. "…Not. Funny."

"And as for you two…" Leon said, turning his attention to Taro and Tam. "We're still a bit unclear as to who you both are…"

"Tam Nightfall," Tam replied, sitting on one of the crates.

"And I'm Kimoto Taro," Taro added, nodding.

"Wait a second. Kimoto?.!" Yuffie demanded.

Taro blinked. "Yeah…" he replied a bit slowly, sounding confused.

"Hey, you guys! He's the kid we're supposed to been keepin' an eye out for!"

Leon raised an eyebrow at the Chinese girl, then looked back over at Taro a bit skeptically. "…Are you sure…?"

"Well, he does look a lot like the boy's description. Which we thought _was_ Sora's…" Aerith agreed.

"What? Wait a second, what boy?" Taro demanded.

"Kiyoshi Insei. With Kairi, Tifa Lockhart, and Hyotoko Takani," Yuffie replied.

Taro's golden eyes widened as he jumped up. "Kiyoshi and Hyotoko?.! Are you certain?.!"

"Kairi and Tifa…?" Sora repeated with a frown. Those names…so familiar… Were they people from his past? If only he could remember…

"Yeah. You guys actually just missed them. They stayed the night here, then left in Cid's gummi ship to go visit Kiyoshi's uncle," Yuffie replied.

"His uncle…?" Taro frowned slightly. "That would either be my dad, which I doubt, or…Uncle Ken!"

"Ken…?" Tam asked, blinking.

"Yeah…back when we were all kids, we weren't from Twilight Town, it was in a city called Tokyo on the Meiji World. My mom had an older brother that was a pretty good swordsman; his name was Himura Kenshin, or for short, Uncle Ken," Taro explained.

"Ah."

Taro nodded. "Yeah. If we hurry, we can still meet them there."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora said enthusiastically.

As he spoke, the door suddenly flew open. "We've got a problem!" Cid announced. Blood was soaking through the fairly deep gash in his shoulder, but he seemed to be trying not to take notice of this. He looked over at Sora and co. "Sora!" He raised an eyebrow at Sora's gothic attire. "…What's with the getup…?"

"We'll explain later. What seems to be the trouble?" Leon asked.

There's a Heartless tearing up the Second District!"

"You've _got_ to be kidding me…!" Tam groaned.

"Nice timing…" Taro said a bit darkly. "Unfortunately, we can't just leave with it being on the rampage. Let's just beat this thing and get going already."

His friends nodded and ran outside while Aerith stayed behind to heal Cid.

"Which way to the Second District?" Tam demanded.

"Just follow us-it's through the alleyway," Yuffie replied as they pushed open the large pair of doors that connected the Third District to the Second District alleyway. They ran through the neon-lit darkness, Taro, Tam, and Sora being the first to arrive in the square.

"Sora!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Guys!"

The teens turned, glancing back to see that Yuffie, Cloud, and Leon had been stopped at the entrance of the alleyway by an invisible barrier.

"Well shit," Taro cursed. "Looks like the Heartless wants us to fight this one alone."

"But…where is it…?" Sora wondered aloud in a quiet voice. They surveyed the wreckage of the Second District… It was bad, but it could've been worse. The fountain had been scratched up, and some of the signs broken, dangling almost precariously above the street. A few of the windows had been shattered. One of the benches had been destroyed, shattered timber, and a few holes could be seen in the roofs of houses and buildings. It was quite obvious that the Second District had seen better days…

There was an eerie silence that was broken only by the soft footsteps of the teens' sneakers. Suddenly…

"Up there!" Tam exclaimed, pointing up at the roof of the Gizmo Shop. They looked up to see what looked like a huge, shadowy gargoyle perched ominously on the edge of the roof. Large, slitted, amber eyes suddenly pierced through the darkness, like two glowing neon lights. It slowly rose onto its hind legs, raising its clawed hands high. At full height, it had to be around ten to thirteen feet tall.

Opening its wings, the very wingspan seemed at least eight feet from tip to tip. They were lined with what looked like neon lights of pink, blue, and yellow. A rope-like tail, nearly like a lion's tail, in fact, swished back and forth. It seemed to be made of a dark orchid purple strip of neon, swirling with darkness within. With the same type of lights, there was a Heartless symbol adorning the chest. The claws and fangs glowed red, as if covered in wet blood.

It suddenly leaped off the edge, the wings catching the air so that it swooped down upon them.

"Duck!" Tam shouted. Tam and Taro got down, but Sora…

He was frozen. For some odd reason, he couldn't seem to move…

"Sora! Get down!" Taro yelled.

Sora looked over at the others, then frowned and dropped down to one knee, his keyblade forming in his hands. At the last minute, he raised his keyblade, pointing it up and ducking down his head. The sharp tip of the keyblade caught the stone-like skin of the gargoyle and ripped a large gash into the arm of the creature, but at the same time, one of the claws came down and ripped a large gash into Sora's shoulder, making the boy tumble back.

As it lifted off again, Taro and Tam jumped over and ran over to Sora. "Sora, you okay?" Taro asked.

"I'll live…" Sora said, wincing as he gripped his shoulder while climbing to his feet.

"You idiot! Be glad that thing didn't kill you…" Tam said.

"Well, at least I got a hit on the thing. How are we supposed to fight the Heartless while we're down here and that thing's up in the air?" Sora asked.

"Good question. It's like trying to take down a jet. None of our weapons are long-distance, to my knowledge, anyway, and I'm not exactly very experienced with aerial attacks," Taro said.

"Hm… Sora, what about your fire?" Tam asked. "Think you can hit it with that?"

Sora shook his head. "I'm not sure… I don't know how long of range I can get my fire to go," he replied.

"All I can really use is some sort of boomerang toss with my keyblade, and I don't think that's going to do much on this thing. And I'm not really a magic-user. How about you, Tam?" Taro asked, glancing over at their red-haired companion.

"Hm…well, let's see…" Tam said, watching the massive gargoyle as she wracked her brain for ideas.

"Um…right. How 'bout we come up with a plan while we're _out_ of range of that thing?" Sora suggested, sweatdropping as he pointed up at the gargoyle with his left arm, which was currently his good arm. "I don't want to get clawed-up again, if that's alright with you guys…"

"Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea," Taro agreed as he watched the creature prepare itself for another attack. "I don't want to get mauled, either…"

"But where?" Tam asked.

Sora looked around, then said, "There!" He rushed over to the staircase nearest to the hotel, hiding behind it and motioning his friends over. "Guys, c'mon!"

The two older teens exchanged glances, then nodded and followed.

* * *

Author's Note-As I said, school has had me swamped and I've been suffering from a lack of inspiration recently, but I think I seem to be getting it back gradually. 

Kingdom Alchemist, I wouldn't quite call Hyotoko a creepy darkness lover-he's just too logical…and gullible... -smiles and sweatdrops- And poor Tam, lol…at least she's not a stupid anime girl… Don't worry about Ed, I have no intention of him dying…um…yet… -grin-

Namine3419, that ish a lot of woots, lol.. –smile- And um…yeah, well, see…I didn't really like Kairi that much in the video game…she kinda annoyed me, to be honest…but I hate it when people make her stupidly…well, stupid and out of character just because they don't like her. So I figured that I would use the rumors that she might fight in the second game and the fact that she probably got cooler with age, since this is a year later, to make her character a lot more awesome. I'm…not sure if Al will be saving the day. It may be a group effort…or not. –smiles and sweatdrops- Not sure, I have yet to get to write that part in the rough draft.

Kingdom Hearts Lover, don't worry, it's not all the characters that can't feel pain. Just certain ones, and the reason for that shall be revealed eventually.

Demonsurfer, I know the feeling. I've got highschool, karate, drama club, and possibly poetry club and international club that I'm juggling at the moment. Not that that'll probably last for very long…the two sure things aside from highschool ish gonna be karate and hopefully drama club. As for my computer time, I just stay up all night, or at least try to.. (though this is not something I would recommend…I think my memory tends to be really short-term because of my lack of sleep…) As for the worlds thing, the first idea sounds good, but then, I have yet to play FF9. –smiles and sweatdrops- But either idea seems pretty good, and if you use the second one, then perhaps you could think of something that keeps them from…um…not killing each other, lol? –smiles and sweatdrops- On the topic of worlds and such, to be honest, I've been mulling over what to do with Rurouni Kenshin when I get to it. I'm not sure how I big I want to make the world…just Tokyo, all of Japan, or all of the Meiji world. I'm thinking probably the whole Meiji world, due to the fact that it involves both the East and the West. With this decided, I can get to deciding an actual name…probably the planet 'Meiji'… And yes, Al does kick ass, lol. At least right now he does. –grin-

Anyways, I really need to get working on the rough draft more… I think one of the problems is these battle scenes are so hard and sometimes even tedious to write sometimes, so once I get past all this, I should hopefully be picking up the pace. But anyways, thankies for all the reviews so far! I shall try to update soon (sooner than I have been recently… -sweatdrop- ). Please review! Ja ne!


	45. Teamwork and Apprenticeship

Author's Note-Sorry for taking so long, guys. I am making progress with the rough draft, slowly but surely. I'd like to say Happy Halloween and Merry Samhain (even if it ish a bit late… -smiles and sweatdrops-) And yes, you all get candy. –grins as she passes out candy- Lessee, for the disclaimer…I don't own Kingdom Hearts. As usual. Anyways, on with the fic!

* * *

Ed winced as long red streaks delivered by lengthy black claws appeared across his back when he attempted to stand. It was becoming painfully obvious now that if he kept fighting, he was going to lose, and probably pay with his life. He looked up, seeing the Heartless that stood before him. It raised its claws, about to bring them down when… 

_Slash!_

A blade flashed, slicing through the Heartless. The blonde looked up to see a girl with crimson hair standing in front of him amidst the black. One of the girls he and Al had helped…

"Hey…you're one of the kids Al and I helped, aren't you…?" he asked. He then frowned. "You probably shouldn't be up yet-you're injured," he said.

"I'll live. You must be Alphonse's brother. I'm Kairi," the girl said.

Ed blinked. "Edward Elric…" he replied, wincing as he stood. Her statement had brought him slight relief in spite of his pain, however-if Alphonse had the time to make an introduction and explain what all was going on, that probably meant that he and the others were okay inside the house.

Kairi nodded, her blue eyes skimming over the surrounding crowd of Heartless. _I can't use cure yet…it's going to take all my strength fighting physically…_ she thought. Without a moment's hesitation, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small bottle filled with a greenish-blue liquid and tossed it to Ed. "Here. Drink it," she instructed.

Ed caught it, staring at it warily for a moment before downing it. He nearly gagged-it tasted awful! "What the hell is this stuff?.!" he demanded, making a face.

"It's a potion. Don't spit it out-you need it for healing," Kairi advised.

"Ugh… Sure that it won't be this stuff that does me in?"

"Positive." Kairi firmly replied.

Sure enough-though he would've never admitted it, because it had to be impossible-he was beginning to feel strangely better. The energy was beginning to return to him, and most of the wounds were beginning to heal up hyper-speed. But…at the complete and utter impossibility of all this, he just had to shrug it off. Because if he even attempted to comprehend all of this…well, he couldn't. In a mess like this, he didn't even know where to start.

…And besides, if he stopped to even try, then he'd be mauled by one of those black Heartless creatures.

Either way, point was that as he straightened up just a bit, he knew that he was ready for round two…

…And apparently, so did the Heartless.

"Get ready…" Kairi warned in a low voice, the two teens being pushed into standing back-to-back as the Heartless edged gradually closer.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ed replied in a matching tone, getting into fighting stance as well.

It seemed to happen all at once. The Heartless sprang forward, almost overwhelming the two. But blades flashed, and the surrounding darkness slowly but surely began to disperse. Ed and Kairi…they were winning…

When the last of the Heartless had skittered off into the shadows, the two fighters sighed, relaxing slightly, but keeping their eyes sharp. "So, anymore unpleasant surprises that I should be expecting? You obviously seem to know a bit more about this than me," Ed asked, glancing over his shoulder at Kairi.

"Well…normally there's a leader to all of them…but I don't think they're here right now. Let's go check on Tifa and the others," Kairi said, heading back into the house. Ed paused, then nodded and followed.

Al, Kiyoshi, and Hyotoko looked over as the door opened. If Al had his body, he would've smiled. "Brother! You're okay!"

"Kairi, Ed, welcome back!" Kiyoshi greeted.

"Yeah. Kairi gave me some sort of medicine that fixed me right up," Ed said, smiling. Medicine…right…in spite of everything, he was still a bit reluctant to call it a 'potion' like in some sort of faerie tale or whatever. "You guys okay in here?"

Kiyoshi blinked. "Um…" He and Al exchanged glances, then looked over at Hyotoko. "Well…yeah, for the most part. But Hyotoko's awake…"

Ed looked over at Hyotoko, expecting to see a pained expression, but frowned when he only saw confusion upon the boy's features. _He…feels no pain…?_ he thought. _But…that's not natural, nowhere close… This can't be a good sign…_

He pushed his thoughts aside and walked over to Hyotoko. "We're going to get that glass out now. Okay?"

Hyotoko nodded calmly. "Er…sure, okay…" he replied, seeming and sounding just as baffled as Ed felt.

"Okay. Al?" Ed asked.

Al nodded. "Right…" he said, walking behind Hyotoko and gently grabbing the boy's arms to hold him steady and, if need be, still.

"Um…brace yourself…I guess…" Ed warned, wrapping his hands around the shard. He pulled as carefully as he could and the glass came out with a sickening noise, but all Hyotoko did was wince. As the blood began to flow out of the wound again, Ed glanced over at Kairi while reaching for a bandage. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any more of that medicine, would you…?" he asked.

"Yeah, but we don't have a whole lot, and it would probably be better if we used a hi-potion. But even partially healing the wound and all the other cuts would help out a lot more than nothing," Kairi replied, fishing around in her pocket and producing another small bottle.

"So where exactly are we…?" Hyotoko muttered, looking around. He stared at the potion for a moment, appearing to be somewhat suspicious, then took it and drank it, grimacing a bit at the taste.

"Amestris…" Ed replied as he began to dab the wound with alcohol and wrap it up in a bandage.

"…Oh…"

"So what now?" Kairi asked.

"We're catching a train to East Central tomorrow," Ed replied. "Mustang's gonna want to know more about this. Besides, I have a report to make…"

"How's the condition of our ship?" Hyotoko asked.

"It's not going to be flying anytime soon…" Ed said. "But then, I'm not a mechanic, especially not of some weird technology that I've never even seen before. I'm sure the Rockbells could probably help in one way or the other…"

"We'll probably have to get the military to move the ship, though," Al said.

Ed nodded in agreement. "I can't really think of any other way at the moment…" he admitted.

"When does the train arrive and how long will it take to get to East Central?" Hyotoko asked.

"Calm down, Hyotoko," a voice laughed from the stairs. "It's not like we're on a set schedule, after all…"

The group looked over to see Tifa. "Tifa!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, smiling.

"How are you feeling?" Kairi asked.

Tifa winced slightly through her smile. "Sore. But I'll live…" she assured them.

"That reminds me-Al, what about your wound?" Kiyoshi asked.

Al looked away from Tifa and over at Kiyoshi, then held up his hands. "Erm…it's okay…" he said.

"Wound…?" Ed repeated, looking up from Hyotoko's bandage as he finished tightening it.

"Yeah… One of the claws of one of that Heartless managed to pierce my armor," Al explained.

Ed frowned. "Strong claws. Normally that steel can deflect bullets…" he commented as he clapped his hands together. Searching for the hole and eventually finding it, he said, "That came pretty close. You're gonna have to be more careful next time."

"Right," Al said, watching as Ed reached up and placed his hands on the armor, repairing the hole in a flash of light.

Hyotoko's eyes widened as he watched with fascination. "Woah! What was that? And don't say magic, because magic isn't real."

His friends rolled their eyes, but Ed blinked at the boy. "Hm?" But then he smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "You're right. It's a science called alchemy," he explained. He was a bit relieved and a bit surprised to find someone ignorant about alchemy and not think that it was some sort of magic right off the bat. Apparently the kid was a real scientist like him.

"Alchemy…" Hyotoko repeated in a mutter. Then, to Ed, "Teach it to me!"

Ed sweatdropped. "What…?"

"Teach me alchemy. Please?"

"Now hang on a second…" Ed began to protest. "Alchemy isn't just something you can learn in a couple of days-it takes hard work and dedication-"

"And I have that! I'm an A student, so of course I dedication and the willingness to learn!"

"That's the truth…" Kiyoshi muttered with a slight sigh.

"Like I said, please? I promise I'll pay attention and study really hard," Hyotoko pleaded.

The blonde alchemist raised an eyebrow. "Just why do you want to learn alchemy, anyway…?"

The brown-haired boy frowned a bit in thought, trying to come up with a good enough answer to satisfy the older boy's question. After a moment, he replied, "To help people!"

Ed and Al exchanged glances, then looked back at Hyotoko. "…Nice try," Ed said, skepticism apparent in his voice.

"What? Don't you guys believe me?" Hyotoko asked, frowning.

"…No. You have your own reasons. Believe me, we've been there."

"But it really is to help someone! Our friend Sakura…we're on a quest to find something to help her wake up…and we're looking for our other friends. Knowing alchemy…it would be a really big help on our journey. And besides…I doubt the blueprints and instruction manual survived the crash of our ship, but I've got that memorized. If I could use alchemy, then I bet I could fix the ship easily," Hyotoko replied.

Ed sighed. "You've got to be kidding me…" Taking another look at Hyotoko, he frowned, then finally relented after a moment of internal debate. "….Alright. But only the basics. Remember, alchemy can't be learned overnight…"

Hyotoko's look brightened to a smile. He nodded. "Hai, sensei!"

* * *

_"I see…" Yukiro said after Seika's explanation. He sighed, leaning against the tall, white garden wall and crossing his arms, looking troubled and thoughtful. "Damn, we've gotten ourselves into quite a mess…and if it's true that _he_ has returned…"_

_"But he can still be defeated. The true power that he has sought lies within the very kingdom he had left behind," Seika replied._

_"So that makes it all more of a race to get to Gaia than before. Great…"_

_"Yukiro…please be careful. Especially now. I don't think I have to tell you what would be the result of an encounter with him. If he finds you still alive-"_

_"Of all my fears, it is he that ranks the highest. You don't have to tell me to avoid him, believe me," Yukiro said with a faint smile. "I'll do the best I can. I promise."_

_Seika smiled, then hugged him. Leaning her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, she murmured, "Thank you…very much. No matter what happens…I'll always be here," she placed a hand on his heart, "to protect you…"_

_Yukiro blinked, then smiled as he embraced her tightly. After a few minutes that passed by all too briefly, the princess stood up onto her toes, whispering into his hear, "It's time for you to go now…until next time…my love…"_

_It was then that the prince felt himself being pulled away, not by his own choice. "W-wait a second! Seika!"_

_"It is not your time to die yet…" echoed Seika's voice as Yukiro seemed to rise into the dark night sky. The kingdom began to be consumed by darkness, until the only pinpoint piercing through was the princess, seeming to glow strangely with an ethereal light from within._

_"There are several tasks you must complete. A destiny to fulfill. Many are depending on you, and therefore, you cannot stay…"_

_"Seika!" _

_"We will...meet again..."_

_

* * *

_

"Yukiro…" a voice seemed to call in the darkness. "Yukiro…"

Crystal-blue eyes opened, the darkness seeming to part to reveal concerned faces peering down at him.

"Wha…" the pale boy muttered, starting to sit up. Feeling a pounding pain in his head, he only managed to rise halfway before quickly lying back down.

"I think his condition is no longer critical. The second heart is gone, so he's probably out of danger," Riku spoke up, sitting in a chair in the corner.

Vincent glanced back at him, then nodded and turned back to Yukiro. "Don't get up. Just rest," he instructed.

"Where are we…?" Yukiro asked weakly.

"Back in the observatory. With you poisoned and needing rest, it was one of the best places to take you in Cosmo Canyon," Bugenhagen replied.

Yukiro looked over at him, then said quietly, "…I thank you greatly for your kindness…"

Vincent blinked. The normal temperamental, stubborn, and almost cold and sardonic attitude of the prince of light had become oddly almost subdued. What exactly had happened to him…? What had he been told...? Heart shields were uncommon, so he was unsure what happened to the person shielded while being protected.

"Vincent, Riku," Yukiro said, looking over at his two companions.

"Hm?" Vincent asked. Riku 'looked' over at the prince.

"Be prepared to leave soon," Yukiro said.

Vincent frowned. "How soon?"

"Before the day's end."

"Are you sure? You should rest-you're still wounded" Red XIII pointed out.

Yukiro smiled weakly and nodded. "J'm quite sure. As much as I would like to stay and heal, we have no time to waste. I have recently been informed of the urgency of our situation, and have found that the circumstances of our situation have unfortunately become far more grim than we realized."

"But still-"

"Hoohoo, this boy is pretty determined. It will be fine, Nanaki. It is almost certain that they will get all the rest they need when they're on their ship and in space…" Bugenhagen assured.

Red XIII blinked, then nodded. "Yes…"

Vincent nodded as well. "We'll be ready, rest assured."

Yukiro smiled before his eyes closed, slipping back into sleep.

* * *

Author's Note-Once again, so sorry for taking so long. I've been quite busy and trying to work up the inspiration for posting. However, it did help to boost my inspiration when I saw a new trailer to the second KH2 game. It showed Jack Sparrow…and Leon…and Cloud… -grin- Oh, on a random note, has anyone played the second FMA video game? They have monsters in there that are just like Heartless! Anyways, in response to the reviews… 

KHobsessed-13, thankies! Sorry for taking a long time-I'll try harder next time… -nodnod- Heh, Namine3419, Yukiro's body is in a bit of pain, but he will be okay…for now. Though I may have some evilness planned for him in the future… -glanceglance- Heheh, didn't know that Heartless liked Hello Kitty…now we know their weakness…

Doghouse, wow…you gave me a realleh defiant voodoo doll… -grin- Ah well. Problems like these can always be solved with neon pink duct tape, heheheh… -grins evilly and ties the voodoo doll up in duct tape, then sits him with her Roy and Envy action figures- There ya go. You just need some friends… -smile-

Ah yeah, and you'll see what Vincent's problem ish eventually. Let's just say that he sort of knows 'Riku' from elsewhere…and under bad terms, too. Heh, aren't my Heartless great? Creating them ish the fun part…though it's when you send them into battle that they become a pain. I do not like writing battle scenes all that much…which ish one of the reasons why it's taking so long to write these recent chapters. Hopefully once we're past all these fights and such, things will speed up a bit. Oh, and as for Ansem, well…you'll see. All will be revealed in future chapters. –nodnod-

Kingdom Alchemist, erm…well, I don't mind Yuffie that much (just when she went stealing my materia –grumblegrumble-), and I don't really find much of a problem with Tam. However, I will happily kill off Aerith…if I ever find a chance (though I may not, really. Whichever works for the plot and all…) And um…please don't kill me, even if I do kill off Edo (no promises on if I will or not.) If you do, I can't write more! –hides under a blanket behind Yukiro and her Riku voodoo doll, who sweatdrop-

Demonsurfer, nah, you didn't bore me at all! Good to know that you've solved the s-CRY-ed problem. I hope I can read this fanficceh eventually… -smiles and nods- Wow…everyhthing that's been happening sounds like a nightmare. I hope you can get it all fixed up soon. Oh, and congrats with X-2! I have yet to get through X… -smiles and sweatdrops- Though I'm putting that off for now to play my second FMA video game… Like I said, it has Heartless in it! I swear it! –grin- Anyways, yeah, I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Anyways, thankies for the reviews so far! I shall try to update soon –already has part of the next chappie written out, so hopefully it won't take too long-, so please review. Ja ne!


	46. Tigerfire

Author's Note-Sorry for the long wait. It took awhile to actually find all the parts to the rough draft of this chapter… -swirly eyes- I'm so disorganized… -sigh- Anywho, I'm sure that you guys don't want to read the boring author's note and go ahead and read the chapter, so I'm just gonna say that I don't own Kingdom Hearts… And now, on with the fic!

"So, anybody come up with any ideas yet?" Taro asked as the teens huddled in the corner between the fountain and the wall, watching as the giant gargoyle circled ominously overhead.

"Not yet, exactly, no…" Tam replied.

Realization and recollection suddenly dawned on Sora's face. "Hey, wait a second…" he muttered, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing his new black and orange keychain, the Tigerfire.

"What's that?" Tam asked, glancing over.

"My keychain; we got it from the jungle. I think it can help us out," Sora explained.

The red-haired girl rose an eyebrow. "…A keychain…" she repeated cynically.

"Right now it's our best shot," Taro said with a slight shrug.

Sora looked from Tam to Taro before nodding and reforming his keyblade. He grabbed the silver crown from the kyeblade and yanked it off. The reaction of the keyblade was a bit unsettling-as if dying, it seemed to grow heavy and cold…

…Until the Tigerfire was hooked on…

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Sora could feel the keyblade shudder, almost pulse, while gradually growing warmer. Suddenly, a burst of flame! An unburning fire surrounded the keyblade, blazing yet somehow harmless to only the wielder. The silver changed to a bright gleaming orange, black, ghostly ribbons shooting out the tip of the blade and wrapping around both the blade and the hilt and tightening, solidifying into black stripes.

There was a moment of silence as the teens stared, before being broken by Tam saying, "Expecting spontaneous combustion in three…two…"

Taro grinned. "Now that…was frickin' awesome. I think I now have renewed confidence."

Sora nodded, grinning back. "Yeah. Let's defeat this thing…"

"Great. So then…what's the plan?" Tam asked, raising an eyebrow as she reminded them of their lack of a plan.

"Um…to take it down?" Taro replied, as if such a simplistic answer was the most obvious one in the world

"Well of course, I know that much…" Tam replied a bit dryly. She sighed. "Boys, you both really need to learn the art of warfare. Just because we have an upgraded weapon, doesn't mean we'll win." Her green eyes studying the monster, she said, "The most advisable thing would be to aim at the wings. Considering how it looks like Sora's weapon now has more firepower-literally-than before, I think he could manage to take it down. Once it's on the ground, we can take it from there. Oh, and on that note, I think those neon lights are basically like the creatures' arteries-when it hits the ground, aim for those."

"Yeah, okay. Sora, I guess that's your cue," Taro said, glancing over at Sora.

Sora nodded. "Got it," he said, jumping out and aiming the flaming keyblade at the Heartless. "Fire!"

An explosion of flame from the tip of the keyblade! The enormous fireball flew at the monster, hitting its target as it blasted the underside of the gargoyle's large wing. The monster let out a deafening cross between a shriek and a roar as it quickly attempted to regain altitude. However, Sora persisted, unrelenting.

"Fire! Fire!"

Several more shouts of this and the monster crashed to the ground. Tam watched, then turned to Taro. "…Right. Taro, with me. Sora, take a break." With that, she formed a green sword from a rose seed, the blade adorned with thorns, the hilt covered with red rose petals, and charged forward. Taro nodded, forming dual keyblades and following. Swinging at the gargoyle, they found that slashes on its black stone skin seemed to only scratch-but attacks to the neon 'arteries' were obviously weakening it.

After several minutes of struggling from the abuse, the monster decided that it had had enough. It let out a shriek, giving its wings a powerful flap. Taro and Tam staggered back, nearly toppling over from the wind. Realizing that it was his time to again step forward, Sora raised his keyblade, carefully aiming at the rising monster.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

With the torrent of flame, the gargoyle didn't stay in the air long. It struggled for a moment, then dropped back down to the ground. As it dropped, Tam and Taro ran forward again to slash at it.

This pattern was repeated several times, until the creature caught them all suddenly off guard with an attack that nobody seemed to expect…

The creature suddenly landed, but on its hind legs and by choice. The skin seemed to suddenly rip open into numerous cuts, the 'arteries' spraying fountains of neon-colored 'blood.'

Ducking some of the blood as it shot over her head and hit the wall, Tam looked over and glared slightly. "Stupid kamikaze Heartless…" she growled. Watching as the 'blood' ate away some of the wall, she then looked over at the boys, who seemed to be just barely faring on their own.

"…Oi! The blood's acidic, so be careful!" she called over to them.

Taro's hand seemed to twitch slightly. "Yeah, we kinda noticed that…" he replied a bit dryly.

"But if it uses up all of its blood-" Sora started.

"Right. This is a suicide move. Kamikaze," Tam finished. "If we can continue to evade the acid until it bleeds itself dry, then this battle is ours."

"Not a smart monster, huh?" Taro commented, raising an eyebrow.

"No, just desperate," Tam replied.

"But what about all the Second District! The monster is gonna wreck it!" Sora exclaimed.

Tam stopped, then sweatdropped and stared at him.

"…Uhm. Dude… I think the collateral damage of just _one_ district is better than the damage of the entire world of Traverse Town."

"Tam!" Taro shouted, suddenly shoving the girl to the side.

Tam hit the stone ground hard, Taro landing on top of her. She glared slightly, shoving the blonde off. "Oi! Taro, what's the big i-" She stopped short and her emerald eyes widened when she caught sight of the red, bleeding burn that marred his pale arm, going from his shoulder, all the way down the side of his arm and stopping at his elbow, then scorching patches of his forearm. The acid had eaten through the fabric of the sleeve of his black jacket. "…Dea…" Tam finished softly.

She frowned. "Taro, why did you…?"

Taro chuckled a bit. Strange…the pain should've been intense, unbearable, even, and yet…he felt only a minor burn. If anything, possibly a major insane itch, at the most, but…all and all, it honestly didn't feel as serious as it should've been, anyway…

…Really. He was tough, but…not that tough…

"Well, I couldn't just…couldn't just let you stand there and get hit…" he replied weakly, smiling faintly.

Tam blinked, surprised to find that his expression of intense pain was extremely lacking. Sure, there was a grimace, but he didn't seem to be showing even half of the pain that he should've been feeling. That could only mean one thing…

"…You're one of us…"

Her tone was soft; a troubled frown was on her face. _But…how?_ she thought. _Does anyone else know? Does Taro himself even know, for that matter?_ But the bigger question was who…who was keeping him alive…

"You guys…?" Sora called over. "Hey! Tam, Taro!" When they didn't seem to hear, he shouted, "Guys, look out!"

That got their attention. Tam's head jerked up, just in time to see a stream of neon pink acidic blood shoot at them, which suddenly was blocked by Sora.

"Sora!" Tam cried, emerald eyes wide.

Sora held his keyblade above him, up into the air. "Defense!"

With those words said, a strong wind suddenly swirled around them, shielding them from the acid.

"Aeroga…" Tam whispered. She then smirked slightly. "Thanks, Sora!" With that, a tiny object-seemingly a pebble-dropped from her pale hand and onto the ground. Pressing her palm to it, she closed her eyes with a pause.

A green spike suddenly shot out from the ground, sticking the Heartless through the chest. The monster let out a final shriek…then shuddered, collapsing to the ground, and dissipated into a cloud of black mist.

Sora blinked, then let out a slight sigh of relief as he lowered his keyblade. Before he could even turn to check if his friends were okay, however, Tam said quietly, without even looking up, "Sora, hurry up and lock the keyhole of this world. I'll make sure that Taro's okay."

Something about Tam's grim tone made Sora frown, but then he nodded. "Okay..." he said, hurrying over to the keyhole. There was a faint glow deep inside, though already darkness was swirling within.

He pointed his keyblade at the keyhole in the fountain. The ornate design around the keyhole suddenly lit up before the stone shifted, moving, growing, and eventually filling in the space of the hole. And that time…there had been no resistance…

Lowering his keyblade again, he scarcely took note of the air shimmering around the square. He turned and ran back to his friends as the others joined them. Kneeling down next to Taro and Tam, he raised his keyblade. "Heal!"

Translucent green leaves floated around Taro, healing the wound. Taro looked down at the fading wound, then back up at Sora and smiled, climbing to his feet. "Thanks…"

Sora smiled and nodded, watching Tam stand up as well. However…Tam wasn't smiling. Instead she seemed to be distracted, watching something off to the side and frowning. Sora's blue eyes followed her gaze in time to see a flash of disappearing gold. Another Heartless…? …Maybe…

His eyes went back to his friends as he took a step away from them. "Hey, you guys? I need to go check on something… I'll be back in a minute, okay?" Before anyone had the chance to protest, he turned and ran off, towards where he had seen the golden gleam.

It wasn't long before he found himself in the gizmo shop. The place was eerily silent, the doors creaking and then suddenly shutting loudly behind him. He tried to push back his nervousness as he walked a bit more inside, looking around.

"Hello…?" he called out, voice echoing a bit throughout the large empty building. "Is anybody here?"

A childish giggle suddenly rang out, echoing as well. "Aw, it seems I have a stalker!"

A small blonde girl wearing a long black coat suddenly leapt down, landing in front of him, a grin on her face. "But that's okay, because you're so cute!" She then sighed and shook her head. "You know…it's really actually too bad…" she said. "But I guess it can't be avoided…you'll have to be sent to the land of fluffy clouds and pink bunnies quite soon!"

Sora frowned, confused. "…Huh?"

The little girl giggled again. "Confused? You're so silly and cute." Two daggers suddenly slid from her sleeves and into her hands. "What I mean is that I'm gonna kill you!"

Author's Note-Thank god! I think most of my battles are finished…or at least those are… Poor Sora has to go getting himself into trouble… -shakes head- But oh well! Moving on… Sorry for not updating sooner. School has got me tied up… -sigh- Not to mention the rut of lacking inspiration and disorganization… But I'm still writing whenever possible! And the fact that I finally got my KH game back helps out a lot… -had lost it and got it back at around Christmas time- As well as the trailers and opening and all that I've found on youtube… Oh, and before I forget…Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! –passes out plushies of the FMA Heartless of the ficceh as well as gold sparklers, lol-

Now, to answer some of these reviews… KHobssessed-13, thankies! Heh, it's nice to know that Yuki-chan has fans… And of course, ya gotta love Edo… -grin- I have to agree, the trailers are providing more questions and answers, but it's still fun to guess… And thanks for being patient. I'm trying to get these chapters out quickly, but these days, it's kinda hard. Good to know that I can take my time to improve the quality of the chapters. –smiles and nods-

Yay! A chance to get more voodoo dolls! –calls the number and gets voodoo dolls- Heheh… Oh, which reminds me. I've got an FMA Lust voodoo doll… -grins and sets her down on the shelf- Sorry, Riku VD, but Doghouse does have point. Even if you did have a say in the matter, you'd be outvoted. Too bad. –grin- And rest assured, the worst is yet to come… -insert evil laughter here-

Kingdom Alchemist, I completely agree. Kairi needs to die…though she probably won't. –sigh- Too bad. Oh, and I agree with Edo, milk's disgusting. –grumbles about why that may be the reason she's seventeen and only 5'2, though-

Namine3419, don't worry. At least you didn't accidentally say 'graffiti' like one person did in a role-play I was recently in… -grin- Yeah, I am trying to at least make Kairi somewhat cooler. I still don't really like her that much, but it makes it more bearable to write her character… -smiles and sweatdrops- And yes, Al ish quite cute. –grin- And he makes a good kitten holder… -cracks up laughing at the image of Riku poking Yuki-chan in the arm with a stick- Poor Yuki-chan! Oh well…that's what he gets for passing out like that around Riku… -grin-

Anywho, I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out sooner. I haven't abandoned the ficceh, so don't worry-I shall update as soon as I can! –nodnod- In the meantime, please review! Ja ne!


	47. Little Kids Are Creepy

Author's note-Gomen for not posting in so long. School's had me bogged down, and I've hardly had time for much else (including karate and writing.) Especially with the exams and graduation tests one week after the other, with exams all crammed into one week, graduation tests in the next…who plans these things?.! –sigh- Anyways, I haven't been having too much time to write, and now the actual game will be coming out. I'm just gonna say that once that happens this will end up becoming an AU. I have no intention of stopping the ficceh. Now, for the disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Now, on with the fic!

_

* * *

_

_"I'm gonna kill you!"_

The voice had been so innocent and cheerful… Did this little girl even known what death meant?

But before he even had the chance to ask, the girl lunged at him, slashing one of her daggers. He jumped back in a dodge, reluctantly summoning his keyblade. What was he going to do? He didn't want to have to fight a little girl…

The doors suddenly flew open, Tam standing in the doorway, her closed fist held out. "Sora, get out of here now!"

Sora turned to see vines beginning to poke out from between Tam's fingers. He hesitated, but then decided to take her word for it and ran out. He paused once outside and turned, expecting Tam to follow. Instead, the doors slammed shut, trapping Tam inside. "Tam!" he exclaimed, running over to the doors and trying to push them open. However, as hard as he tried, his attempts were futile.

Tam was locked in…

* * *

Riku sat by the fire of the town in Cosmo Canyon. He could hear the crackle and pop of the flames; he could almost feel the heat on his face. 

…Well…if he could feel…

He could tell it was night by the sounds around him. The coyote howls off in the distance, the chirping of crickets nearby.

Padded footsteps drew close and then stopped beside him. After a couple of moments of silence, Red XIII spoke.

"Do you want to help out your friends more?" he asked.

Riku 'looked' over at him, but then nodded. "Yeah…"

"Then follow me…"

Riku stood, following the cat. They headed up the stairs and turned into a shop. Red XIII headed over to the back and opened up a trunk, pawing through the contents until he found what he had been searching for. Taking the item in his mouth, he carried it over to Riku and dropped it into the boy's palm.

"This is called summoning materia," Red XIII explained. "More specifically, it is called Odin."

Odin…how fitting. The lightning crackling around the materia brushed and sparked against Riku's hand without giving any pain. "How do I use it?"

"Like any magic. When Odin is summoned, your heart will sync with the spirit you have called. But it can only survive in the world for a period of time before it must return to the materia," Red XIII explained.

Riku nodded. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind…" he said, slipping the orb into his pocket.

Red XIII nodded, then said, "Riku…this isn't a very commonly-known fact, but I was once a White Knight of Gaia. I watched Prince Yukiro and his brother grow, and I fought until Gaia's fall. In the final battle, like Vincent, I was captured and taken here. Put through experiments and then sleep, I was found in the canyon years ago."

The cat looked up at him with a slight sigh. "The last time I saw the young prince, he was no older than the age of nine. After that, I suspect that it had been about ten years for him in this world. In spite of the time that has passed, he has hardly changed at all. He's still the stubborn, determined, hot-tempered boy that he's always been. But…something troubles me…"

Red XIII lowered his head. "Due to the events that's transpired, his heart had started to become bitter and cold. If he is not careful, then it will become tainted with darkness. Being the prince of light, he is also the incarnation of light. Should he die or be tainted, then the very existence of light will cease to exist. I would go with you and Vincent and the prince, but I unfortunately have other duties here. This is now my home, and I must protect it from suffering the same fate as Gaia. As of this moment, without ceremony, you are unofficially a White Knight."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it only supposed to be royalty that can knight people…?" he asked.

Red XIII smiled. "That's why I said 'unofficially.'"

"Oi, Riku. Vincent and I are waiting for you. Quit standing around," came Yukiro's voice from the doorway. Riku turned, seeing the intense light of Yukiro's figure, then nodded.

"Alright, I'm coming," Riku said. As he 'watched' Yukiro turn and walk off, he 'looked' down at Red XIII. "Hey…thanks. This Odin summon should help out a lot…"

Red XIII nodded. "Just be sure to use it for the right reasons… Remember, you've got a job to do…"

Riku nodded as well. "I'll remember that. Don't worry… I won't let you down…" With that, he turned, starting after the young prince.

* * *

Night didn't last long in Amestris. The light of dawning day was finally beginning to shine down, much to the travelers' relief. Kiyoshi, who had fallen asleep in the chair without realizing, stirred. His blue eyes slowly opened and he blinked sleepily, yawning. Not remembering where he was for a moment, however, he bolted up, startled and looking around. 

The suit of armor sitting nearby suddenly looked over, and Kiyoshi could've almost sworn it smiled. "So, you're awake…" Al said cheerfully.

Kiyoshi nodded. "Yeah…" he said, blinking again. He looked about the empty room. "Where'd everybody go…?"

"Kairi and Tifa are sleeping upstairs. Brother went off to the library a little while ago, and Hyotoko went with him," Al explained.

Kiyoshi frowned worriedly. "But…what if the Heartless attack…?" he asked worriedly. He wasn't sure if the Heartless would attack during the daytime, but…if they did…

"Don't worry. Brother can handle himself, and I'm sure Hyotoko can, too…" Al assured him.

Kiyoshi thought on this for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "That's for sure…" he murmured, remembering some of the sparring sessions his friends had. Taro was probably the strongest out of all of them…but he had to admit that Hyotoko could definitely hold his own in a fight, injured or not. He did have incredible stamina and determination... "Alright…" he said.

He looked down at his wounds and frowned, then climbed to his feet and winced slightly at the pain that the injuries caused him. He wobbled slightly-he had more energy now, yes, but he was still somewhat weak. Oh well. At least now he had enough energy for this…

He took his staff from his back, holding the end with both hands and pointing it up into the air above him. Al, meanwhile, looked on curiously.

Kiyoshi closed his eyes and focused, or at least tried to the best he could, visualizing his wounds healing quickly, as well as the end result, a healthy uninjured body. He imagined a light that swirled around him, the magic all around that floated invisibly through the air, and focused his own chi, tying them into each other, magicks combining.

"Heal!"

A green glow floated around him, all of his wounds healing in hyperspeed. When the spell faded, Al could only stare with surprise.

"What the… How did you do that?" Al asked.

Kiyoshi looked over and smiled. "Easy. It's magic," he replied simply. "All I have to do is focus my chi and mix it with the magic around me. Then I envision the spell that I need taking place as well as what I want as the end result and then say the verbal. My staff is used as a focus to help cast the spell. Our friend Aerith taught Kairi and I back in Traverse Town, so this is actually the first time that I ever actually performed it, or any kind of magic, for that matter. Of course, the bad thing is…" He suddenly wobbled again. "…Is that it can take a lot of chi-especially if you're a beginner…"

"Hey, be careful," Al said, getting up and helping Kiyoshi back into the chair. "You still need your rest…"

"I need practice…" Kiyoshi muttered. "If I'm ever going to become a healer and mystic…"

Al tilted his helmet curiously. "Healer? Mystic? But can't you already heal?"

"Healers and mystics can do more than just heal themselves. Healers can heal others, too. And even more helpful are mystics-people that can fight with magic. Once I'm better at this, I can learn spells that will let me manipulate fire, lightning, ice-all that sort of stuff." He nodded, then looked a bit sheepish. "You see…I'm not very good at physical fighting, so I would probably be of more help if I was better with my magic…"

Al wasn't all too sure what to say. Growing up learning alchemy with his brother, they both had a healthy amount of skepticism toward things like magic. "Well…good luck with that," he replied. He nodded. "Just keep practicing and believe in yourself. I'm sure that one day, you'll become the greatest mystic I know." _And the only one…_ he added as a silent afterthought. He didn't say it out loud, of course. Even if he and his brother didn't believe very much in magic, Kiyoshi did. And it was Kiyoshi's dream to become a great mystic and healer, so he should be encouraged to follow it.

Kiyoshi nodded. "I will," he said, the determination in his blue eyes looking a bit renewed. He then smiled and stood. "I think I'm going to go see Hyotoko and Ed… When does the train arrive?"

"Let's see…" Al said, looking over at the clock. "In about an hour. Are you sure you'll be all right out there on your own? Maybe I should go with you…"

Kiyoshi shook his head. "Nah...don't worry. Besides, you've got to look after Kairi and Tifa," he said. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon…" Before Al could argue, he hurried out of the house, looking around. He had only been walking down the street for about a minute or two when he suddenly stopped and blinked. "Wait a minute…" he muttered, looking around. "Where _is_ the library, anyway…?"

His eyes settled on a child standing in the street up ahead. He frowned. "A kid…?" he muttered. "But…I thought this place was abandoned…" He hesitated for a moment before taking a few steps toward the child. "Um…e-excuse me…" he started.

The child turned, showing that it was a boy with long black hair and violet-blue eyes.

Kiyoshi took a couple more steps forward. "Um…I'm looking for the library…could you tell me where it is?"

The boy paused, as if in debate, then suddenly grinned a somewhat unsettling grin. "Sure. Just follow me," he said, walking down the street and turning a corner.

Kiyoshi hesitated for a moment. It wasn't really a good idea to go with strangers, but…this was just a kid. A kid that hardly looked any older than him… What could be the harm in following? He then nodded, taking off after the kid.

He turned into an alleyway, looking around and frowning slightly. "Hey…this is just an alleywa-" His sentence was cut off and his eyes widened as his wrists were snatched from behind, being pulled behind his back in a steel grip. He tried to twist around to look up at his captor, and saw that it was the kid and a man…or a woman…that had long green hair and violet eyes with an evil look in them. He frowned, beginning to struggle and squirm. "H-hey! Let me go!" he shouted.

The man smirked. "…No."

Something suddenly hit Kiyoshi on the back of the head…hard. He saw stars exploding in front of his eyes before he was plunged into darkness, going limp with unconsciousness.

Envy tossed the unconscious boy to Wrath. "Wrath, go take this boy to Lust," he instructed. "And then she can take him to our master..." There was the crackle of electricity as he shrunk, his eyes becoming blue and his hair becoming completely black, shortening to shoulder-length and softening so that the palm tree-like life to it was taken away. His close changed, looking more like Kiyoshi's black ninja outfit than Envy's usual skort and tank top.

He turned to Wrath, grinning with a maliciousness that was quite foreign to the one he was copying. "I've got to finish up my job here," he said with Kiyoshi's voice, sounding a bit strange with the innocence and nervousness/worry completely gone.

He reached out, grabbing Kiyoshi's staff off of the boy's back. Suddenly he grimaced, dropping the staff and looking down at his suddenly-burnt palm, which was already beginning to heal. "…Forget it…" he grumbled. He looked over at Wrath. "Just get going…"

Wrath nodded, hurrying off down the street.

Envy smirked, turning and heading the opposite way down the street. Finally reaching the library, he paused outside the door for a moment, using centuries of acting experience to put on the nervous and innocent façade of Kiyoshi, then stepped inside, looking around.

"Hello…?" he called. "Ed? Hyotoko?" He walked until he reached the books on alchemy. It wasn't hard to find them-even if he didn't know where they'd be, their faintest of sounds were loud in the eerie silence of the large empty library.

When he found the boys with their noses buried in the books, he smiled, tilting his head slightly. "There you guys are…"

Ed looked up at them and blinked. "Kiyoshi, what are you doing here…?" he asked.

"I wanted to check up on you guys and remind you that the train will be coming, soon…" the boy replied.

"And the girls?" Hyotoko asked, glancing up at him.

"Al's with them-don't worry…"

Hyotoko raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you actually came alone…" He then stood, placing the book back on the shelf.

Envy-or rather, Kiyoshi now-shrugged, beginning to scan the shelves.

Ed stood, walking over to him. "What are you looking for?" he asked curiously.

"Stuff on heart fragments…" Kiyoshi replied. "I heard that they can help us…" He then frowned slightly. "But I can't seem to find anything on them…"

Ed blinked, but then smiled. "Well…don't worry about it. If you like, we could probably ask Sheska about it. She's bound to know something about them…"

Kiyoshi smiled. "Really?" he asked. He then nodded. "Okay…"

Meanwhile, Hyotoko was watching the small boy from off to the side, a slight frown on his face. Something was wrong…but what?

* * *

Author's note-As I said, sorry for taking so long to post. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon, though I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I will say though, the more reviews, the faster the chapters. And as for Wrath coming into the story... Well, now that I've seen the whole series, I'm going to set this a bit later in the FMA timeline than intended. But...Hughes is not dead! With the magical...author...powers invested in me... -sweatdrops- So, anyways... Now to respond the reviews! 

Namine3419, Taro can feel his booboo…just not as much as he should. It's very faint… -smiles and sweatdrops- Heh…yeah, I agree. Machi ish pretty creepy… Cute little kids are creepy…probably because they will one day rule the world with their cuteness. And yeah…the big monster fights are cool, but still difficult to write. –swirly eyes- And hopefully I won't have to write any boss battles again anytime soon. But hopefully I'll be getting better at it as I go along. –nodnod-

Yes, Kingdom Alchemist…Taro got acidated. –smiles and sweatdrops- I'm so mean to my characters, aren't I? And yeah, whatever his name is, lol… Originally, when he first came into my mine and my friend's role-plays, his name was Toro…and then we didn't use him for a long time, and we forgot his name for the most part. So I took a wild guess…it wasn't until a long time later (just recently) that I remembered what his real name was…but I like Taro better. –grin- And yeah, Sora does get himself into trouble, but what more can we expect? –pokes Sora voodoo doll- And yes, I completely agree…the milk must die! –joins the riot-


	48. All of My Memories Keep You Near

Author's Note-Hey guys! After a hiatus that lasted a few months, I'm finally back and active! …Now let's just hope that I can keep that way… -smiles and sweatdrops- Um…I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Don't own Kingdom Hearts II, either. On that note, the second game rocks (Demyx and Axel are awesome! So is Roxas! …But Xigbar is annoying…in the game and in roleplays…he keeps trying to kill my characters in the roleplays heh, even though they probably deserve it half the time, but still!), however, I'm still doing this story my way as an alternate universe fanfic. I gotta admit that I was fairly shocked with the whole Nobody thing, though-my observation was almost accurate, though a little off… You'll see later, when the Dark Knights are explained. Anywho, on with the fic!

* * *

"Tam! Tam!" Sora exclaimed, pounding on the doors. 

"Sora?" came Taro's voice behind him as the blonde ran up. "What's going on?"

"Tam's locked in, and I think it's with the person that's been controlling the Heartless in Traverse Town!" Sora replied.

"What?.!" Taro's amber eyes were a bit wide. "Then we've got to figure out a way to get in there! She needs our help!"

Sora nodded, then pushed on the door again.

Taro walked over and started to help, then pulled away from the other door. "Geez…you think it's locked?"

Sora shook his head. "Not sure…" he replied, leaning against the door. He suddenly lost his balance arms wheeling around before he fell back as the door opened up entirely behind him. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in surprise as he fell back. He winced slightly, but then looked up at the face above him. "Tam!"

Tam looked down at him for a moment, looking a bit troubled, then seemed to force a weak smile as she nodded. She glanced up at Taro, who hurried over.

"Tam, we're glad you're okay… What happened in there…?" Taro asked, glancing around behind her to see the place a bit torn up.

"Not much. She tried to fight me, but she was a little kid…it wasn't a very hard battle…" Tam said with a small shrug.

Sora blinked, then climbed to his feet, walking inside and looking around. "Where did she go…?" he asked.

Tam shrugged. "Dunno. When she saw that she was losing, she just…disappeared. I'm not sure where she went…" she replied.

Taro nodded, then frowned as he looked down at Tam's arm. There was a red stain on the white shirt of her school uniform, the fabric high up on the sleeve torn. "Tam, you're hurt…" he said.

Tam blinked, then looked down at her arm and covered the wound over with her hand. "It's just a flesh wound…really…" she said.

"Yeah, but…what if her daggers were poisonous?" Sora asked, glancing over. Something about the child from earlier…something about her made him worry about poisons…

Tam sighed. "It wasn't poisonous."

"But how would you know?" Taro pointed out, concern in his eyes.

"You guys…if it was poisonous, then I would probably be feeling the effects already," Tam replied. "It'll be fine. Unless…" She turned to Sora. "Hey, Sora. Could you heal this for me…?" she asked.

Sora blinked, then nodded. "Sure," he said with a faint smile. He raised his keyblade. "Heal!"

Green leaves floated around Tam, the wound shimmering with green for a moment before closing up and healing in hyperspeed.

Taro looked over at Sora and grinned a bit. "I see that you've begun to remember your magic…" he said.

Sora nodded slightly. "Yeah…" he replied as he lowered his keyblade. "Or…maybe I never forgot it at all…"

Taro shrugged. "Who knows? I'm not exactly a psychologist…" he said. He turned to Tam. "Better now?"

Tam nodded. "Yeah…" she replied. She smiled over at Sora. "Thanks…"

Sora nodded. "No problem…" he replied.

Taro seemed to think for a moment, then blinked and began going through his pockets. "Where is it…?" he muttered.

His comrades looked over at him curiously. "What are you looking for…?" Tam asked.

"That…thing…" Taro said vaguely, then blinked. "There it is…" He pulled a card from his pocket, the same that they had gotten from King Louie. Turning to Sora, he held it out to him. "Here…I think this is supposed to be yours…" he said.

Sora blinked, then smiled. "Thanks…" he said, reaching out to grab the card.

However, the card began to glow as his hand drew near, then suddenly seeped into his heart, a stream of light, before disappearing. The boy's eyes widened as he froze for a moment.

_Blue. That's what he saw ahead of him. The sea…the sky… He could feel warm sand underneath his palms, and a girl with red hair and bright blue eyes that matched the sea was giggling, standing near him._

_"Give me a break, Kairi…"_

_"Sora, you lazy bum…I knew I'd find you snoozing out here…"_

_Flash!_

_Red, purple, orange…the sky had changed, as well as what he had been lying on. It was no longer sand, but a tree instead… This red-haired girl-Kairi-was sitting next to him, and a white haired boy… Ri…Ri… Riku…oh yeah…_

_"If there are many other worlds out there…then why did we end up on this one?"_

_"I dunno…"_

_"Exactly… That's why we've got go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't do a thing…"_

_Flash!_

_"Sora…don't ever change…"_

_He sat on the dock, watching the sunset. Another day, he assumed. He looked over at Kairi, blinking._

_"I just can't wait… Once we set sail…it'll be great…" the redhead said dreamily._

_Flash!_

_"The door…has opened…"_

_"What…?"_

_He looked around. The sky…it was so dark…stormy, ominous. They were standing on the small island, he and Riku. He was worried…very worried… Why was Riku acting this way…?_

_"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!"_

_"But what about about Kairi!"_

_"Kairi's coming with us! Once we leave…we may never see our parents again… But there's no turning back! We can't let fear stop us… I'm not afraid of the darkness!"_

_Flash!_

_"Kairi!"_

_He was in a dark cave, the secret place. Kairi, she was standing in front of the door, slowly turning to him. "Sora…"_

_The door suddenly burst open, throwing the girl at him. He was ready to catch her when…she went right through him. He was blown out of the cave, onto the small patch of sand, all that was left of the island, all that was left of his home. And he looked up…and saw a monster from his nightmares…_

_A bright light…_

_"Remember…you will be the one to open the door…"_

"Sora! Sora!"

Sora slowly opened his eyes and blinked, finding himself on the ground, his two friends kneeling right next to him and looking concerned.

Taro gave a slight sigh of relief. "Are you okay…?"

"Yeah…what happened…?" Sora asked, sitting up and looking around, rubbing his head where it had made contact with the ground.

"No idea… I was about to ask you that. You just froze up and passed out…" Taro replied, shaking his head.

Sora blinked again, then stopped rubbing his head, eyes on the ground in front of him. "I remember…" he muttered.

Taro raised an eyebrow. "The fall…?"

"No… I remember…the islands… Destiny Islands! And Riku and Kairi, too!"

"Seriously…?" Taro asked. He grinned slightly. "All right!"

"But it's not all of my memories… At least, I don't think it is… No, I'm sure it isn't," Sora said. "But I think that card had some of my memories stored in it…"

"Like a computer chip, almost…?" Taro asked. _Huh…I bet Hyotoko would be fascinated with something like that…_ he thought with a slight grin as he remembered his friend.

Right! His friends… They had to get going to catch up with them…!

As Sora shrugged, Taro nodded slightly. "Well, we should probably get going…" the blonde said. "If we ever hope to catch up with everybody."

Sora blinked, then nodded and grinned. He looked over at Tam, who had already gotten up and was staring into the Gizmo Shop. "Tam…?"

Tam looked over, then smiled almost uneasily. "Oh. Coming!" she said, hurrying after them.

Meanwhile, the small blonde-Machi-peeked out from around some machinery and grinned. "Don't get distracted…" she said cheerfully before disappearing into a portal of darkness.

* * *

"So, what exactly are we doing, anyway…?" Riku asked, breaking the silence of the gummi ship. 

Yukiro, who was on the verge of dozing off (for not only was he bored, he was also still weak from the poison), blinked and opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to glance over at Riku. "Say what…?"

"Well, back in Cosmo Canyon, you spoke as if you had some sort of plan. But all that we've really done so far is get some help for our cause…whatever that is. That was never entirely explained either…" Riku pointed out.

Yukiro looked back up toward the ceiling, quiet for a moment as he thought. "Well…we need to keep my brother from being awakened so that the Dark Knights don't find Gaia. And we can go about this by either finding the ones that hold the fragments of his heart within their own and protecting them, or we can seek out the Dark Knights and kill them…" he finally said. "The problem with that is that we don't know where to find either party."

"We could check Destiny Islands…" Riku suggested. "They seemed to be after Kiyoshi, so I sent him there. And last I checked, the Dark Knights had set up HQ in Hollow Bastion."

"Hollow Bastion…it figures…" Yukiro murmured. He didn't want to speak of it in front of Riku…but this was starting to get complicated. He knew that they had to get rid of the Dark Knights once and for all, but he also wanted to avoid…_him_…as much as possible. Besides, he had made a promise that he would to Seika.

He looked over at Riku. "Do you know where the other keyblade wielders may be?"

Riku thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, not really… I don't have a clue where Sora is, and the last time I saw Taro was in Twilight Town."

Even if they did go to stop the Dark Knights and their leader, he felt that they probably should get more help. Granted, there weren't nearly as many Dark Knights as there used to be…but even so, they were still outnumbered. The smart thing to do would be at least finding the other two keyblade wielders. And yet…

"Vincent, set a course for Hollow Bastion, but make sure we stop by any other worlds on the way. That way we'll have a chance at finding some help, as well as the fragment holders," Yukiro said, glancing over at Vincent. "And if we can't find help, then we'll have to fight this battle on our own."

"You're sure that's wise?" Vincent asked, glancing over at him from the gummi controls.

Yukiro looked straight ahead, out the windshield. "The best way to stop a problem like this is to stop it at its source, and to stop it before it can get too out of hand," he said quietly. And who said he didn't learn? He had set mind, now sure of this plan and determined not to repeat his mother's mistake.

Vincent paused, then nodded. "Alright…" he said, turning back to the controls.

After that, things were quiet for a long while. Though Yukiro was still tired physically, he had reawakened in the mind. He now began to consider their plans, current and future, tossing them around in his mind. Vincent was at work operating the gummi ship. Riku, who had been on the cot, had probably gone to sleep.

Vincent seemed to notice this silence and took advantage of it after glancing back at the sleeping blind boy, then over at Yukiro. "Yukiro…" he began.

Yukiro snapped out of his thoughts, looking over at Vincent. "Hm?"

"You seem to have changed a bit after being protected with that heart shield. Who was it?"

Yukiro blinked, watching Vincent for a moment before smiling a small smile and turning his head to look straight ahead, through the windshield at the stars ahead. "It was her, Vincent. It seems that…" He placed a hand over his heart. "Seika is still with me…even after death."

Vincent blinked, then nodded, smiling a faint, rare smile, but that seemed to disappear almost as soon as it had come. "And what did she tell you…?"

The smile on Yukiro's face dissolved, being replaced with a frown. "Well…" he started. "She said that…my brother isn't the only one that we have to worry about now. She said that the former leader of the Dark Knights is back."

Vincent's look grew grim. "You're sure?"

"It's what she said…" Yukiro replied.

Vincent nodded, silent in thought. The leader of the Dark Knights…Yukiro was terrified of that man. The decision that the prince had made was bold, brave, but also very dangerous. Even if they could find help, there was a very good chance that they wouldn't win. But then, they didn't have that much of a choice, either…

He nodded. "Understood," he replied simply, knowing that with such few options, he couldn't really question orders.

* * *

Author's Note-Aw, very few reviews… Makes me sad, but I can guess I can still work with this. I gotta say thankies to my dedicated fans. –nodnod- Oh, and since I'm finally eighteen (turned eighteen on June 22, so it's a little late)...and since it's the late second year anniversary of Dark Rain… -hands reviewers b-day cake and an Kiyoshi plushie and party hats- My party ish tomorrow, so don't worry-the cake isn't old. And wow, second birthday for Dark Rain... This has gotta be the longest amount of time I've stuck to a fanfic, I think... –smiles and sweatdrops- Um…I'll try to have the next chapter out soon. Not entirely sure what 'soon' is since I've got multiple fanfics, roleplays, and school starting up next week (I think AP English is going to kill me by the end of the year), but I'll try to make it really soon instead of in a few months. Oh, whoever can guess the name of the song and band that the lyrics used for the chapter title guets a cookie! Anyways, please review! Now time to respond to the current reviews! 

Kingdom Alchemist-Aw, Kiyoshi got dubbed a mini-bishi… -grin- Yeah, Machi is pretty creepy. That was definitely made official when I freaked my friend Kit out with her character in a FullMetal Alchemist roleplay one time... The sad thing is that she actually used to be a cute little kid...

Namine3419-Little kids are creepy. Believe me, I know-I have plenty of little cousins. –nodnod- As for what happens to Kiyoshi… -grins evilly and says in a singsong voice- We'll see… Anywho, glad you understand my laziness. –smiles and sweatdrops- For me, it's laziness and business. Four active (or attempting to keep active) fanfics, eight roleplays that I'm managing, two roleplays that I'm in that I'm not managing but trying to stay active in, and a roleplay guild, plus AP English summer homework… It all keeps me very busy. –swirly eyes- But yeah. Laziness ish a factor as well. –smiles and sweatdrops- I'll try to post more often, though.


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